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Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005 film)
Encyclopedia
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a 2005 crime drama film
starring 50 Cent
. It was released on November 9, 2005, and was known as Locked and Loaded during production. Similar to the 2002 Eminem
film 8 Mile
, which it used as a template, the film is a loosely-based semi-autobiographical film
account of 50 Cent's own life. It was directed by 6-time Academy Award-nominee Jim Sheridan
. However, unlike 8 Mile, Get Rich or Die Tryin' was widely panned.
) and his underling, Majestic, (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
) full time. Majestic, however, has plans of his own to become a major drug lord himself.
(RIAA) certified the album platinum
. The album has so far sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
publicly turned down an offer to co-star in the film, citing that he did not want to lend credence to what he believed was an inexperienced and unproven actor. Film critic Roger Ebert
wrote of Jackson's decision: "Like Bill Cosby
, Jackson is arguing against the anti-intellectual message that success for young black males is better sought in the worlds of rap and sport
s than in the classroom". Jackson reportedly still thinks that rappers should not be in films, but has spoken with 50 Cent several times about it and has made amends with him. The two later co-starred in the 2006 film
Home of the Brave
.
based upon 117 reviews and 3.9 out of 10 stars at the Internet Movie Database
. The Radio Times
criticized the film, saying that "as a vehicle for hip-hop superstar Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, this [film] runs out of gas a fair few kilometres short", giving it a "could be worse" rating of 2/5 stars. CinePassion stated that "[Jim] Sheridan's surface vividness is applied around a vacuum." A critic working for Film Freak Central gave a scathing review, saying that the main character, Marcus, "sells dope. Marcus buys a gun. Marcus buys a microphone. Marcus goes to prison. Marcus gets shot. Marcus makes a movie about his life that no one goes to see." FilmFocus
was also quite harsh, saying that the film's "real danger is that it sets a precedent for the director; if the price is right he's on board." The BBC
was not entirely impressed with the film, saying that "while it boasts a first-class director and is loosely based on the singer's own life-story, the results leave you feeling a little short-changed."
Jonathan Ross
, however, gave a positive review, calling Get Rich or Die Tryin "gripping" and suggesting that it had "excellent performances". Roger Ebert was also quite positive on the film, giving the film a 3 out of 4 rating and saying that it was "a film with a rich and convincing texture, a drama with power and anger".
Despite the overall poor critical response, Get Rich or Die Tryin grossed $12,020,807 in its opening weekend. Altogether, the film grossed $46,442,528 in total worldwide.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
. It was released on November 9, 2005, and was known as Locked and Loaded during production. Similar to the 2002 Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
film 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
, which it used as a template, the film is a loosely-based semi-autobiographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
account of 50 Cent's own life. It was directed by 6-time Academy Award-nominee Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin and In America.-Life and career:...
. However, unlike 8 Mile, Get Rich or Die Tryin' was widely panned.
Plot and synopsis
Marcus is a quiet young man who adores his loving mother (Serena Reeder), and the two live a relatively comfortable life as his mother is a local drug dealer. She often has to leave him with his grandparents to be looked after while she takes care of her business. But after she is brutally murdered in an apparent drug deal gone wrong, Marcus heads down the wrong road himself. Forced to live with his grandparents full-time, they themselves having many children too, he finds his life less appealing as his grandfather works long hours to support the large family. As he grows older, he enters the drug game himself, buying new clothing and even a gun. Eventually he abandons high school to sell drugs for local kingpin Levar (Bill DukeBill Duke
William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
) and his underling, Majestic, (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
) full time. Majestic, however, has plans of his own to become a major drug lord himself.
Years later, after he reunites with his childhood sweetheart (Joy BryantJoy BryantJoy Bryant is an American actress and former fashion model. Joy currently stars as Jasmine Trussell in Parenthood-Early life:...
), he is thrown in jail. During his time in prison, he befriends a fellow inmate named Bama (Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
). Marcus decides to leave the drug trade behind in order to pursue and eventually fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a rap-star and entertainer, calling himself Young Caesar, after the Roman conqueror himself, with Bama as his manager and producer.
Unfortunately, he and his drug crew end up robbing a local shop, and Majestic doesn't want to let him go, resulting in a tragedy that might have destroyed his life forever. Marcus is gunned down outside of his family's home, leading him to rethink his life and put his priorities in order, including that of his young child.
Marcus begins preparations to go on stage and begin his walk of becoming a top-notch and real entertainer, donning a bulletproof vest for his protection from his enemies. In the moments before the show, he gains the ire of Majestic, who comes to him with a revelation that he was the one who murdered Marcus' mother years earlier. A fight ensues and leaves Marcus the victor and, finally at peace with his inner demons, leaves Majestic at the hands of his cronies. As he walks out towards the crowd he stops as he hears a lone gunshot in the room behind him, implying Majestic is now dead, which is confirmed as the film cuts to Bama shooting up Majestic's corpse.
As Marcus steps onto the stage to perform for the waiting crowd, he removes the bulletproof vest he had on, showing he was no longer afraid to be who he was meant to be.
Cast
- 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
as Marcus - Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
as Bama - Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
as Majestic - Joy BryantJoy BryantJoy Bryant is an American actress and former fashion model. Joy currently stars as Jasmine Trussell in Parenthood-Early life:...
as Charlene - Omar Benson MillerOmar Benson MillerOmar Benson Miller is an American actor.-Early life:Miller was raised in Long Beach and Anaheim, California, and graduated from San Jose State University.-Career:...
as Kyrl - Tory KittlesTory KittlesTory Kittles is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as Malibu's Most Wanted, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Next, and Miracle at St...
as Justice - Ashley Walters as Antoine
- Marc John JefferiesMarc John JefferiesMarc John Jefferies is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Derrick Mitchell on the NBC sitcom The Tracy Morgan Show, and as Darius on Treme, the HBO drama series set in post-Katrina New Orleans.-Career:Jefferies debuted as the title character "Isaiah",...
as Young Marcus - Viola DavisViola DavisViola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
as Grandma - Sullivan WalkerSullivan WalkerSullivan Walker is a Trinidadian actor who has played numerous small and recurring roles on television shows since the early eighties...
as Grandpa - Serena Reeder as Katrina
- Bill DukeBill DukeWilliam Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
as Levar - Mpho KoahoMpho KoahoMpho Koaho is a Canadian/South African film and television actor.-Biography:Mpho Koaho was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to South African parents....
as Junebug - Russell HornsbyRussell HornsbyRussell Hornsby is an American theater, television, and film actor. He is perhaps best known for portraying police officer Eddie Sutton on the ABC Family television drama series Lincoln Heights, and Luke on the HBO series In Treatment.-Early life and education:Hornsby was a football player at St....
as Odell - Joseph Pierre as Uncle Deuce
- Ryan AllenRyan AllenRyan Allen is an American bass singer known for his operatic character roles. He debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1993 as Hans Foltz in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner. The singer has performed professionally in all 50 states, appeared with numerous American opera companies,...
as Uncle Roy - Ben Walsh as 15 Euro
- Mykelti WilliamsonMykelti WilliamsonMichael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
as Charlene's step-father (uncredited)
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on November 8, 2005. In December 2005, the Recording Industry Association of AmericaRecording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) certified the album platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
. The album has so far sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Controversy
Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
publicly turned down an offer to co-star in the film, citing that he did not want to lend credence to what he believed was an inexperienced and unproven actor. Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
wrote of Jackson's decision: "Like Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Jackson is arguing against the anti-intellectual message that success for young black males is better sought in the worlds of rap and sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s than in the classroom". Jackson reportedly still thinks that rappers should not be in films, but has spoken with 50 Cent several times about it and has made amends with him. The two later co-starred in the 2006 film
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
Home of the Brave
Home of the Brave (2006 film)
Home of the Brave is a 2006 drama film following the lives of four Army National Guard soldiers in Iraq and their return to the United States. The film was shot in Morocco and in Spokane, Washington.-Plot:...
.
Reception
Reception to Get Rich or Die Tryin by critics was poor, as it currently holds a 16% rating at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based upon 117 reviews and 3.9 out of 10 stars at the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. The Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
criticized the film, saying that "as a vehicle for hip-hop superstar Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, this [film] runs out of gas a fair few kilometres short", giving it a "could be worse" rating of 2/5 stars. CinePassion stated that "[Jim] Sheridan's surface vividness is applied around a vacuum." A critic working for Film Freak Central gave a scathing review, saying that the main character, Marcus, "sells dope. Marcus buys a gun. Marcus buys a microphone. Marcus goes to prison. Marcus gets shot. Marcus makes a movie about his life that no one goes to see." FilmFocus
FilmFocus
FilmFocus is a British film website which has been running since January 2004. According to Alexa Internet data it is the second most popular film website in the United Kingdom behind Empire 's website.-Site Features:...
was also quite harsh, saying that the film's "real danger is that it sets a precedent for the director; if the price is right he's on board." The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
was not entirely impressed with the film, saying that "while it boasts a first-class director and is loosely based on the singer's own life-story, the results leave you feeling a little short-changed."
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
, however, gave a positive review, calling Get Rich or Die Tryin "gripping" and suggesting that it had "excellent performances". Roger Ebert was also quite positive on the film, giving the film a 3 out of 4 rating and saying that it was "a film with a rich and convincing texture, a drama with power and anger".
Despite the overall poor critical response, Get Rich or Die Tryin grossed $12,020,807 in its opening weekend. Altogether, the film grossed $46,442,528 in total worldwide.