This is simply one of the best movies about living the dream and the struggle to be somebody and self-actualize that I've seen. But first, i digress. As a guy in his late 30s i take issue with the IMDB logline implying that a guy who's 40 (As Terrence Howard is in H&F) is mid-life. I'm not saying it's wrong. I just take issue with it.Terrence Howard is great as DJay, a pimp with a few other side hustle (Taraji Henson, Paula Jai Parker, and Taryn Manning, are all terrific in their roles).They're all living with him, and one is his baby's mama, and exerts a lot of pressure in trying to get him to be the man that she wants him to be (a recurring theme in the movie, and with that I'll mention that Anthony Anderson was also great in his supporting turn). This all changes when a chance encounter from a most unexpected source brings music back into his life and rekindles an old dream, setting him off on a journey to reach success by both moral and immoral means. From then on, the movie is very well written and acted, and features good acting from all the aforementioned and more. I'm not in the music biz, so I'll avoid commenting on the music business stuff, but it felt very genuine to me, especially in terms of the artistic process.But Hustle and Flow is really a movie about what it really means to be successful, especially as an artist, and to really live the dream. And I think the message of the movie is that it isn't about money and glitz, but about self fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment, even in the absence of the material gain. And that too, was very well executed in the film, written and directed by Craig Brewer. Great film.

DJay,played by Terrence Howard, is a pimp and drug dealer who is dissatisfied with his life and wants to make a change in Hustle And Flow.After acquiring a keyboard and reacquainting himself with an old friend from school,Key, played by Anthony Anderson,who has become a sound technician. Then,he decides to try making hip hop songs. Key and sound-mixer friend,Shelby,played by DJ Qualls coordinates with DJay put together several songs. The group experiences many setbacks throughout the creative process. DJay must hustle those around him in order to procure proper equipment and recording time, and Key's relationship with his wife becomes strained. At the end of the film, in a bit of irony, sees a duo 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 him 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.Hustle And Flow was a great independent drama film.Terrence Howard was exceptional as DJay.The screenplay by Craig Brewer was also great in trying to tell a story of a man who sought change in his life.His direction by was crisp as well. Highly recommended for viewers who seek themes about the welfare of disenfranchised people particularly African- Americans. Highly recommended indeed.

As a person who listens to all kinds of music I was interested in this film. I was surprised by it. Perhaps I shouldn't have expected it to be anything special. Rap lines like 'it's hard out here for a pimp' don't quality as anything in my book. To me that sounds the same as 'it's hard to be stupid.' I like Run DMC and a few others, who I feel have some artistic credibility, but I think this movie does significant damage to the idea of rap as notable street poetry. I feel this film makes rapers look like they all have their heads on backwards, which I think is not always the case. Coming nowhere near the stinging social commentary of an Ice-T, this film is sly reductionism rather than entertainment or enlightenment. In a world that turns out hundreds of films a year it really should not surprise me that something like this came along. Given enough time just about every point of view gets represented,unfortunately.

Hustle and Flow is a very good come-up story of a small town southern pimp slash small time drug dealer D-Jay and the people in his life who help him along the way to realize his goal of making it in the rap game. D-jay is at a mid-life crisis in his life and is looking for a way out and a way up in the rap business. Terreance Howard gives a great performance as D-Jay a very believable character, also giving a good performance is Taryn Manning as Nola, D-Jays main girl in his stable of women. Every one else in the film gives a good performance too even usually over the top character actors DJ Qualls and Anthony Anderson give more realistic performances.Good soundtrack very original. Good directing and writing by Craig Brewer. Even though this film takes place in modern day it has the feel of a 70's blaxploitation soul cinema film, a genre i am a huge fan of. I like this film the most in the recent genre of rap musician life movies that have come out around the same time i.e. Get rich or die trying and 8 Mile. I am not a huge fan of rap music but this film and it's music is very believable and it captures you're attention from the start and holds it until the end, definitely worth the viewing.