Hustle & Flow
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| Hustle & Flow | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Craig Brewer |
| Written by | Craig Brewer |
| Starring | Terrence Howard Anthony Anderson Taryn Manning Taraji P. Henson D.J. Qualls Ludacris Isaac Hayes |
| Distributed by | Paramount Classics |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Hustle & Flow is a 2005 film written and directed by Craig Brewer about a Memphis hustler called DJay, played by Terrence Howard, who aspires to become a rapper.
The film was nominated an Academy Awards for Best Actor for Howard and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for Three 6 Mafia's "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp".
Contents |
[edit] Plot
DJay is a petty drug dealer and a pimp with three prostitutes in his charge, but he is dissatisfied with his life. After acquiring a keyboard and meeting an old friend from school, Key, who has become a sound technician, DJay decides to try making hip hop songs. Key and his friend Shelby help DJay put together a hit song. DJay proves to have a real talent for lyrics, in which he expresses the frustrations of a small-time hustler struggling to survive.
The group experiences many setbacks throughout the creative process. DJay must hustle those around him in order to procure proper equipment and recording time. Key's relationship with his wife becomes strained, while DJay throws out one of his prostitutes for ridiculing his enterprise. The group eventually records several tracks, including "Whoop That Trick" and their primary single "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp", on which DJay's pregnant prostitute Shug provides backing vocals. DJay begins to develop a romantic connection with Shug after their recording.
DJay's friend Arnel informs him that Skinny Black, a successful Memphis rapper, will be returning to the neighborhood for a party. DJay gains admittance to the party under the pretext of providing marijuana, with the intention of giving Skinny Black his demo tape. Black is dismissive at first, but after a long night DJay successfully hustles him into taking the tape. Before leaving the party, however, DJay discovers that the drunken Black has destroyed his tape. In a rage, DJay assaults Black and shoots one of his entourage in the arm before fleeing.
DJay is arrested, but in prison he learns that his prostitute Nola has hustled the local radio disc jockeys into playing his songs, which have become local hits. The end of the film, in a bit of irony, sees a pair of prison guards who have their own rap group asking DJay to listen to their demo, much as DJay had approached Skinny Black. After the guards request DJay to listen to the demo, he accepts their tape and responds with the following: "You know what they say, everybody gotta have a dream," which was the slogan for the film.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terrence Howard | DJay | A small-time hustler who is dissatisfied with his unglamorous life and yearns to express himself. |
| Anthony Anderson | Key | A modestly successful audio technician with a passion for music. |
| Taryn Manning | Nola | A levelheaded prostitute of DJay's. |
| Taraji P. Henson | Shug | A meek prostitute of DJay's who is pregnant with an unknown client's child. |
| DJ Qualls | Shelby | A friend of Key's and an amateur musician. |
| Chris "Ludacris" Bridges | Skinny Black | A successful Memphis rapper who has forgotten his roots. |
| Paula Jai Parker | Lexus | A caustic prostitute and part-time stripper with a young child. |
| Elise Neal | Yevette | Key's straightlaced wife. |
| Isaac Hayes | Arnel | A bar owner who is sympathetic to DJay's aspirations. |
[edit] Awards and Nominations
- Academy Awards
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Best Original Song: Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman & Paul Beauregard for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (Winner)
- Austin Film Critics
- Breakthrough Artist Award: Terrence Howard (Winner) also won for Four Brothers, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Lackawanna Blues and Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Black Movie Awards
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Terrence Howard (Winner)
- Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Taraji P. Henson (Winner)
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Anthony Anderson (Winner)
- Outstanding Motion Picture: (Nominated)
- Black Reel Awards
- Best Actor: Terrence Howard (Winner)
- Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson (Winner)
- Best Original Soundtrack: (Winner)
- Best Film: (Nominated)
- Best Supporting Actor: Anthony Anderson (Nominated)
- Best Ensemble: Nominated
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Actor: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Best Song: Terrence Howard for "Hustle & Flow" (Winner)
- Chicago Film Critics
- Best Actor: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Florida Film Critics
- Breakout Award: Terrence Howard (Winner) also honored for Crash & Get Rich or Die Tryin
- Golden Globes
- Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Gotham Awards
- Breakthrough Award: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Motion Picture (Nominated)
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Terrence Howard (Nominated)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
- Taraji P. Henson (Nominated)
- Elise Neal (Nominated)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Anthony Anderson (Nominated)
- Sundance Film Festival
- Audience Award, Dramatic: Craig Brewer (Winner)
- Excellence in Cinematography Award, Dramatic: Amelia Vincent (Winner)
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- This is the second movie where Terrence Howard and Ludacris share a fight scene, the first being Crash.
- Terrence Howard originally turned down the role of DJay because he was trying to get away from being cast as a pimp, but he later signed on to play the role after recognizing the complexity of the character.
- As concepts of both hustle and flow are unique to African American culture, it turned out to be nearly impossible to find proper translations for international release of the film. For example, Russian translation of the title means "The fuss and the torrent".
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hustle & Flow at Rotten Tomatoes
- Hustle & Flow at the Internet Movie Database
- Hustle & Flow at Box Office Mojo
- Movie Review - Mark Sells, The Oregon Herald
- Interview with Taraji P. Henson - Mark Sells, The Oregon Herald
- Sundance Films Honored
