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About this movie

Genres:
Crime, Drama
Language:
English
Running time:
1:56:21
Partner rating:
R
Released:

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Terrence Howard [Djay]
  2. Anthony Anderson [Key]
  3. Taryn Manning [Nola]
  4. Taraji Henson [Shug]
  5. Paula Jai Parker [Lexus]
  6. Elise Neal [Yevette]
  7. Isaac Hayes [Arnel]
  8. D.J. Qualls [Shelby]
  9. Ludacris [Skinny Black]
  10. Terrence Howard Djay
  11. Anthony Anderson Key
  12. Taryn Manning Nola
  13. Taraji P. Henson Shug
  14. Paula Jai Parker Lexus
  15. D.J. Qualls Shelby
  16. Ludacris Skinny Black
  17. Elise Neal Yevette
  18. Isaac Hayes Arnel

Directors

  1. Craig Brewer

Producers

  1. Stephanie Allain
  2. John Singleton

Writers

  1. Craig Brewer

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Hustle & Flow

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Trailer for Hustle & Flow

One man's struggle to rise above his circumstances prompts him to try a career in music in this acclaimed drama from writer and director Craig Brewer. Djay (Terrence Howard) is a low-level pimp and drug dealer who scraped together a living in the ghettos of Memphis, TN. Djay isn't happy with his life, and the realization that he's reached the same age when his father unexpectedly died has made him start thinking about changing his ways. Djay h... One man's struggle to rise above his circumstances prompts him to try a career in music in this acclaimed drama from writer and director Craig Brewer. Djay (Terrence Howard) is a low-level pimp and drug dealer who scraped together a living in the ghettos of Memphis, TN. Djay isn't happy with his life, and the realization that he's reached the same age when his father unexpectedly died has made him start thinking about changing his ways. Djay has always had a gift for spinning stories, and after picking up a cheap keyboard, he begins picking out beats to go along with his rhymes. After bumping into an old high-school buddy who works in gospel music, Key (Anthony Anderson), Djay decided to take the plunge and remake himself as a rapper. With the technical know-how of Key and the musical input of a local beat maker named Shelby (DJ Qualls), Djay begins turning his way with words and his first-hand knowledge of the street life into music, as his two live-in girlfriends, Lexus (Paula Jai Parker) and Shug (Taraji P. Henson), add their musical input and emotional support and Nola (Taryn Manning) continues to turn tricks to pay the bills. When local boy-turned-nationwide hip-hop star Skinny Black (Ludacris) comes to town to pay a visit to Arnel (Isaac Hayes), a club owner friendly with Djay, he sees an opportunity to put his demo in the hands of someone who can bring his music to the masses, though it turns out to be far more difficult than he expected. Hustle & Flow had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a number of rave reviews and took home the Audience Award.

Trailer for Hustle & Flow

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Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

82%Tomatometer score: 82% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile Peopled with gritty, unsafe and unsavoury characters from the street scape of downtown Memphis, Hustle and Flow probes keenly into the crunk subculture alien to Australians, yet fascinating and... – Full review External link
  2. Positive review
    Paul Arendt, BBC Follows the traditional Hollywood rags-to-riches tale but throws in unexpected grit and top-class drama. – Full review External link
  3. Positive review
    Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper It's kind of a conventional story, but it's told in such a unique way and the locations in Memphis all feel very authentic. – Full review External link
  4. Positive review
    Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com Hustle & Flow suspends you in its spell of mood, of feeling, of climate. It's a pop picture that finds its richness in peeling down to the essentials of good storytelling. – Full review External link
  5. Positive review
    Ann Hornaday, Washington Post Watching as a pimp, a pothead and a pregnant hooker play and sing in a makeshift bedroom recording studio, and becoming increasingly caught up in their determination and hope, it's impossible not... – Full review External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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