Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8138 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Synopsis
A gritty fairy tale of dreams deferred, HUSTLE & FLOW infuses the torpor of the Memphis ghetto with electric tension. Terrence DaShon Howard delivers the performance of a lifetime as DJay, a pimp and drug dealer eking out an existence with his three whores, one of whom, Shug (Taraji P. Henson, HOLLA), is hugely pregnant. Nola (Taryn Manning, 8 MILE) turns tricks from the backseat of DJay's beater, while Lexus (Paula Jai Parker, LOVE CHRONICLES), the hustler's high-maintenance girlfriend, strips in a cellar-like club. DJay's dissatisfaction is increasing as he senses that life has nothing more in store for him, but a chance encounter with an old school friend, Key (Anthony Anderson, KING'S RANSOM), reignites his musical aspirations. Key is a small-time recording artist, and DJay, armed with a notebook full of lyrics, pays him a visit at home, much to the displeasure of Key's prim and proper wife (Elise Neal, PLAYA'S BALL). Initially dubious, Key agrees to partner with DJay after hearing his stuff, and the two build a makeshift recording studio in DJay's back room, enlisting the aid of a skinny white boy (DJ Qualls) with an unlikely talent on the drum machine. There unfolds the triumphant meat of the story, where, against all odds--and after a few bouts of infighting everyone pitches in to cut DJay's crunk demo.Essentially a rags-to-riches story, director Craig Brewer avoids the saccharine through his achingly human portrayal of the characters. DJay is fraught with an undeniable misogyny that colours his otherwise sympathetic angst, and Howard portrays that complexity with grace and soul. With John Singleton in the producer's chair, HUSTLE & FLOW strikes an unprecedented balance between feel-good fare and unstinting urban drama, in what amounts to a powerful depiction of the pain and poignant struggle of those who populate this often-misinterpreted milieu.

Customer Reviews

Inspiring story with great performance from Terrence Howard
Broke Memphis pimp D Jay buys a child's keyboard from a bum and it rekindles his long-dormant interest in music. Soon, he's roping in music producer Key and keyboard player Shelby to help put together some demos in the hope of selling D Jay as the new Hip Hop sensation to local rap superstar Skinny Black. D Jay, tired of living a meagre existence on the wrong side of the law, has found himself a dream, so the joy of this one is watching as he tries to achieve it.

What's great about this film is the sense of gritty realism it brings to the story. Hustle And Flow isn't about glamorising the pimp game, and if anything makes it seem like an entirely unpleasant way to live. This is not the bling and Escalades of MTV rap videos - this is a guy who can't even afford to pay his phone bill. This realism extends to D Jay's attempts to record music. The film avoids the usual recording business cliches and shows instead our group of musicians as they cobble together their own studio in a back room with pawn shop equipment and cardboard cup holders stapled to the wall for sound proofing. Also, the makers have gone to great lengths to make the creation of the music a believable and organic process. It's very enjoyable watching the songs as they come together throughout the film.

What's also great about this one is the acting. Terrence Howard is magnetic as D Jay. Not once does Howard give us the all-too-familiar bragging, over confident rapper we might be expecting. This may be a film about a talented guy with a dream, but Howard's performance is a layered affair that isn't afraid to show D Jay's vulnerable side as he struggles with his lack of confidence and with his ability to express himself. Alongside Howard is a brilliant supporting cast. The always good Anthony Anderson shows a more serious side in this one, as does funny skinny nerd D J Qualls. Also worth a mention are Taraji P Henson as the incredibly sweet and supportive Shug and Taryn Manning as frustrated hooker Nola.

Hustle And Flow puts the so-so Eminem vehicle 8 Mile and the appalling 50 Cent brand extension Get Rich Or Die Tryin' to shame. This is a well-crafted, brilliantly written, perfectly acted, engaging story about people who've lost sight of their dreams and are struggling to get them back. It's actually very inspiring in its own way - even if you don't like Hip Hop - so this is recommended to all.

A good film with an original story line
Too often films about the hip-hop/rap world have followed the same story line, well this film takes a different look and delivers it well.

Terence Howard gives a powerful performance as DJay the pimp who's looking to change direction in his life by trying to become a rapper. He's very convincing in the part. The rap performances he delivers are realistic. Anthony Anderson plays his part very well as the producer.

I would recommend this film.

Squeezing a dollar out of a dime when you ain't got a cent
In "Hustle & Flow," Terrence Howard plays a pimp and pusher named Djay. The fact Howard has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor gives you some indication that Djay is not your ordinary pimp and pusher. There is not going to be an argument that Djay is a noble figure, but there is a certainly nobility is his desire to come up with a better life and he does have a certain rhetorical flair and even eloquence when he is not spouting the rap lyrics he has written down in his little notebook. Howard's performance, which is as memorable as anything you have seen in the past year, is certainly a major part of what makes the character compelling, but writer-director Craig Brewer ("The Poor and the Hungry") gets credit as well.

So, as our story begins Djay has come to the conclusion that there are better things to be in this world than a pimp. Skinny Black (Ludacris), a big rap star, is coming back to his Memphis hood to visit where he got his start at a club run by Arnel (Isaac Hayes). Djay thinks that all he has to do is put his demo tape in the hands of Skinny Black and that will be enough to make him a star. But before that happens Djay has to make the demo tape. So he gets his hands on a digital keyboard and works out some stuff to play for Key (Anthony Anderson), who usually records church music but knows Shelby (DJ Qualls), who knows enough about rap music to at least make that part sound good. So Key staples cardboard egg containers to the walls of Djay's dining room to make a do-it-yourself soundproof recording studio, and try to see if Djay has any lyrics that could actually be played on the radio. Fortunately Shug (Taraji P. Henson) the hooker comes up with the hook for the song, which becomes "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." Whatever else happens tomorrow night at the Academy Awards, the performance of this nominated song is going to present some interesting problems, to say the least.

There is a key moment in "Hustle & Flow" when Djay discovers that the microphones are picking up the sound coming from a neighbor's house. Djay has to go over and ask nicely for some consideration, which proves that he is willing to do whatever it takes to make his dream come true. However, he proves the same thing when he needs to get his hands on some decent microphones and he uses Nola (Taryn Manning), as a human ATM, which she finds objectionable to his surprise. For every step forward towards his dream there seems to be one backwards. Is he making progress towards his dream or is everything a just a cruel illusion before his life bottoms out?

Despite the rampant political incorrectness and obscenity of his lyrics, the creation of Djay's rap song is compelling and dare I say infectious (if you find yourself standing up and waving your arm around while chanting "Whomp that trick," do not be surprised). The other big moment comes when Djay discovers that making the demo tape is only half the battle, because he still has to get it into the hands of Skinny Black. The man has skills, but such things might not matter in the world he lives in, let alone the one he is trying to enter. As Djay says in a sober moment of clarity, "I'm here trying to squeeze a dollar out of a dime, and I ain't even got a cent man."

"Hustle & Flow" deserves to be remembered for more than Howard's performance and the Oscar nominated song with the dirtiest lyrics of all-time, but those will be the focal points. The film is Howard's star turn and the situation is somewhat reminiscent of when Morgan Freeman was nominated for "Street Smart," although it is hard to imagine Howard or anyone going to on a career that sees them playing the President and God as Freeman has done. But Howard also has a strong performance in "Crash" under his belt this past year and has clearly moved up the Hollywood list and is going to stay there (Howard will not win tomorrow night, but in a year where three of the nominees are doing famous real people and the other's role is based on what he does not say, this is the standout performance). The subject matter of this film will be enough to deter many from ever seeing it (to wit, my wife), but those who do will find it memorable.