Hustle & Flow (2005)

Director:

Craig Brewer

Writer (WGA):

Craig Brewer (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Everybody gotta have a dream.

Plot:

With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.

Plot Keywords:

Hip Hop | Pimp | Stripper | Prostitute | Murder

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Terrence Howard	...	Djay
Anthony Anderson	...	Key
Taryn Manning	...	Nola
Taraji P. Henson	...	Shug
DJ Qualls	...	Shelby (as D.J. Qualls)
Ludacris	...	Skinny Black
Paula Jai Parker	...	Lexus
Elise Neal	...	Yevette
Isaac Hayes	...	Arnel
Jordan Houston	...	Tigga (as Juicy J)
William Engram	...	Slobs (as William 'Poon' Engram)
Bobby Sandimanie	...	Yellow Jacket (as Bobby 'I-20' Sandimanie)
Haystak	...	Mickey
Claude Phillips	...	Harold
Josey Scott	...	Elroy

MPAA:

Rated R for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-15 (VHS rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:7 | Canada:14A | USA:R (certificate #41196) | Malaysia:(Banned) | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Crunk Pictures

Trivia:

Terrence Howard interviewed 123 pimps and 78 prostitutes over a period of two and a half years. This process included living with four separate pimps for various periods, including a month-long stint in a Memphis bordello.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the beginning when DJ turns on the radio, the music being played is explicit and uncensored. If it was being played on the radio, it would be censored to make it radio-friendly.

Quotes:

Shug: I get like this because I'm pregnant and everything... but, you know, letting me sing on the... on the demo and everything like you do... well, it just... it made me feel real. Real special. And... I mean, I know y'all gonna be moving on and moving up... and y'all gonna get real good people to sing, you know, back up for you and everything... but I just... D, I need you to know it meant the world to me.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Soundtrack:

Pop It for Some Paper

A Fantastic film... but not for everyone.

As a member of the Hollywood community, I was blown away by this film... By the tight screenplay, the professional direction, and the phenomenal acting. In my opinion, I think this is one of the best films of the year so far.

With that said, it is not a film for children. It is not a film meant to portray ideal role models for children. It IS a film meant to realistically depict the lives of people who live at the very bottom of America's socioeconomic ladder.

If you find yourself unable to reserve judgment against people born into a life so vastly different than your own, you will probably not like this film. In order to appreciate it, you have to be able to see past the moral and ethical ambiguities of these characters.

So if anyone feels unsure whether they can handle the ugliness of this type of world, but still feels curious enough to see it, take a cue from the Anthropologists...

When studying a culture vastly different than your own, make sure to leave the rights and wrongs of your society at home. Because once you impose the moral judgment and ethical standards of your world upon another's, you've sacrificed your objectivity. And by doing so, miss the very point of empathy.