'Hustle & Flow': Crank up the Crunk
by Chris Garcia
Djay sits with his girls in a ratty old Chevy sedan, waiting in the Memphis swelter, without air conditioning, for prowling johns. Parked below overpasses or in vacant lots, Djay and the women pass the time conversing and complaining. He's tired of the pimp life, has dreams of riding musical stardom out of the ghetto. He looks at Nola, the prostitute with a mop of thin blond braids that look like spaghetti dumped on her head. And he says: "Whatcha wanna do with your life?" With that, "Hustle & Flow" embarks on its low-key fairy tale about snatching your dreams and running.
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The story of a charismatic Memphis pimp who, after being shaken by mid-life crisis, is drawn to create and record his own hip-hop music with the support of his friends and "family."
Paramount Classics
'Hustle & Flow'
Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson
Run time: 114 minutes
Release date: July 22, 2005
Rating: R for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A-
"Though the language is quite foul and the sexuality and domestic violence can get down-and-dirty, at heart Hustle & Flow is pure Rocky."
Austin American-Statesman: 4 of 5 stars
"The movie's formulaic contours get blasted out by a beat that feels new and urgent and now."
The Palm Beach Post: B+
"With its grainy view of the world and a surprising directness, (writer-director Craig Brewer) seduces us into caring about and empathizing with DJay and his dream."
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