Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
50 Cent in a scene from the movie 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
GET RICH or Die Tryin' is about as poignant a flick as the lyrics of the rapper who stars in it and on whose life the story is based, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson.
The movie fails because it simply does not try hard enough to dream beyond the specific and capture that universal lust for riches that should be at its heart.
It is not surprising that a movie based, 50 Cent's life was made. First, rap has a reputation for being autobiographical, and so making a film on that life is really a mere extension of or simply moving to another genre of storytelling. The title echoes the story of many a rapper, as they attempt to pull themselves out of the ghetto, microphone first.
RHYMING HALF DOLLAR
Furthermore, Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the same story that helped gain the rapper enough momentum to bounce through videoland and rise to the top: he had been shot nine times, and lived to rap again. Okay, so he was shot. Now what?
Essentially, Get Rich or Die Tryin' is made for the sole reason that the rhyming half dollar makes a worthwhile brand. Whether he is posing for sneakers or giving authenticity to a video game, 50 Cent provides that much coveted image of the gangsta rapper.
Having been shot nine times, he holds proof that his knowledge of the street was not received second hand, but he is more real than McKoy - a gangsta who raps and having muscled in on the music world is attempting to cut his way into the movie industry.
But whether or not the movie is driven by sheer capitalist steam (and most movies are) does not detract from its potential.
STORY OF TRIUMPH
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a story of triumph, of moving beyond the circumstances in which you were born, with a touch of romance thrown in. Or at least, it could have been.
Instead, Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a half-hearted rap that tries to survive on the beat rather than on the potential of the lyrics. The script is unimpressive and the film simply lacks the grit, the raw honesty, and any socio-political integrity that would have made it an impressive film.
Interestingly, 50 Cent does not do a bad representation of himself, which as many a rapper/singer has proven, is a harder task than one could imagine. Additionally, the cast is stacked with actors to raise the level of performances.
YEAR OF TERRENCE HOWARD
So it is that it seems that 2005 is the year of Terrence Howard (who plays Bama), who appears to be cropping up everywhere. Fortunately, he is also able to find much diversity and it seems that over a decade after Mr. Holland's Opus the actor has finally arrived. Since year he has featured in the stunning Crash, Four Brothers and Hustle and Flow
Get Rich also features Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje whose most impressive work to date remains his role as Adabesi in HBO's riveting prison drama Oz.
As such, Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is an unimpressive film. There is a little to bob your head to on occasion, but nothing more. It has the hook, but the verses were simply not well-developed enough.
