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Bright Idea: [
By CityGet Rich or Die Tryin'
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Get Rich or Die Tryin'It could have been so much better
2005-11-22
Article Written by: Sami Jo
In this 8 Mile wannabe of a film, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson plays Marcus, a drug-dealing gangster that gets shot nine times, but amazingly lives and pursues his dream of becoming a rapper. Sound Familiar? On the movie's official website ( www.getrichordietryinmovie.com ), 50 Cent says, "I guess you could say that Get Rich or Die Tryin ' is a collage of my life. It's not so much my life story as it is a story that has incidents similar to some that happened in my life." It's called a biopic!!!!
Biopics like last year's Ray and The Aviator —about Ray Charles and Howard Hughes respectively—received many Academy Awards simply because people like watching biopics. While no one cares about the much less interesting tales of Marcus or Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, people enjoy seeing films based on fascinating lives like those of 50 Cent and Eminem. Please don't tell me people have to die before a "real" film can be made about them!!!
Despite my obvious irritation, I do have to admit that 50 Cent (I just can't bring myself to refer to him as Curtis Jackson) is not a bad actor. In fact, I'm sure that casting director Avy Kaufman ( Derailed ) had a hard time finding an actress who could hold her own opposite one of America's hottest rappers, but Joy Bryant ( Honey ) does just that.
Unlike 8 Mile , which won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryin' doesn't stand a chance at an Academy Award, but the film is still somewhat entertaining. It was well written by Terence Winter ("The Sopranos") and directed by Jim Sheridan ( In America ).
Final Thought: For such a talented rapper, the music in the film really sucks.
