An outstanding film this is. I'd wanted to see it when I first watched the trailer in the Lincoln ODEON. But being Lincoln, the film was never released here...
So I had to await the DVD release.
Think of it as 8 Mile but with a great actor and (in my view) better songs. I like Eminem, I'm not denying that - but Hustle and Flow is leaps and bounds ahead of 8 Mile. The storyline is very good, and has a great twist towards the end (once DJay goes to meet Skinny - Ludacris). Surely the best bit of the film is watching them put together a great tune, from what was initially a bash on a 'fisher-price' keyboard.
Ludacris (as usual) does a great job in this film, and Terence Howard deserved the Best Actor award. I'd almost say it's on par with Crash - although it revolved around several key characters, Hustle and Flow concentrates on one man's struggle to make it big. I wont spoil the ending, but it's left a bit open and allows the audience to decide DJay's fate.
If you watch it, you'll also spot DJ Qualls from Road Trip fame - the skinny, lanky guy. I laughed when I read on IMDB that he used to model for Prada and Calvin Klein.
IMDB information here.