- Title: Hustle & Flow
- IMDb: link
Can a you root for a pimp? The answer Hustle & Flow gives is a resounding yes. Djay isn’t a bad man, just one who is stuck in a life he never really wanted and wishes to live out his lifelong dreams. Well, that’s a pretty universal story I think most people will be able to relate to.
Djay (Terrence Howard) is a middle-aged pimp who treats his hookers better than some parents treat their children. Djay’s main source of income is Nola (Taryn Manning) the skinny young ghetto white girl who he pimps out of his car. Also part of his family are hookers Shrug (Taraji P. Henson) who is pregnant and the loudmouthed Lexus (Paula Jai Parker). Djay waxes nostalgic daily about life and dreams about becoming a rap star.
Aware that popular rapper Skinny Black (Ludacris) will make his annual trek home for the Fourth of July, Djay talks himself and others (Anthony Anderson and DJ Qualls) into putting together a demo tape to pass onto his “friend.” The slow process makes Djay reexamine himself and his life and his feelings towards more than one of his women.
Djay is a complex character and although the film does make him the “pimp with a heart of gold” it never turns him into a caricature. Through the film Djay shows his care for the girls but when there is something he needs like money or a fancy new microphone he has no problem detaching himself and using them to get what he needs. Howard turns in a top notch performance here as the simple yet complex Djay who knows just what he wants and has a plan to get there but finds the process isn’t quite what he dreamed it would be.
The story and drama are enhanced by a terrific soundtrack that makes you believe Djay might have a chance with his dream career if he can get his shot. In many ways the story is about redemption, not only for Djay but also for Shrug and Nola who through helping Djay find his dream become part of it and something more themselves.
Hustle & Flow isn’t for everyone, but for those who can accept the subject matter it is an uplifting if sometimes vulgar and obscene film. Those contradictions actually help the film feel more real and tangible and the performances alone deserve viewing. Sure DJ is a little too nice and acceptable through most of the film but Howard’s performance helps balance out the studio’s necessity of making him a likeable guy, because deep down he really is and you will end up rooting for him to succeed.