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Cinco DeNio

Musical Mondays Week 32 Hustle & Flow

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You've brought up a ton of interesting points that I agree with, but I wanted to say that DJay specifically lost me when he evicted the toddler. I think I would have been at least willing to root for him if I wasn't worried about a baby he clearly cared for (the piano scene was cute!). His scenes with the other two women in his life weren't heartwarming per say but were at least something I could understand and see as everyone making an effort to do better, regardless of how small steps they were.

 

I personally have a very hard time with the anti-hero story. I want to root for people to do better, but when they start self-sabotaging and everyone around them is equally as awful, I have a difficult time watching. I'm a sucker, I want the happy ending! I also feel bad for the guy clearly trying when everyone is shitting on him, and then he just gives into their assumptions.

 

See, I don't have a problem with the unresolved, "downer" endings. I'm actually more stimulated by art that shoves the bleakness of existence in my face and says "DWELL IN IT AND CONFRONT YOUR OWN INSIGNIFICANCE, MUTHAFUCKA!" than I am with art that tries to put a shine on everything. (EDIT: Then again, I just watched the "No Rain" video with my daughter and started to cry when the Bee Girl found the other Bee People ... so there's that)

 

But I get it. I've become a parent since the last time I watched H&F, and that moment definitely pinged off me differently that it did before. Takes a cold heartlessness to write-off a baby like that. Certainly not what you like to see a protagonist do.

 

In the context of the film's plot, Lexus is the most toxic personality in Djay's life, so the movie seems to be making his eviction of her and her baby an act of heroism, an overcoming of an obstacle. That's a hard sell, for sure.

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Yeah, it was probably the early 2000s. Djay mentions Kobe in one of his songs and it was probably around the time of the Lakers 3-peat.

 

 

 

Yes, but I don't think he was stupid. I mean, yeah, he got lucky and got a chance to meet Skinny, but once he got to Arnel's, the way Djay manipulated Skinny was like a masterclass on hustling (until the bathroom scene of course). And I couldn't write like that. What would my rap even be about? the hardship of having to wait 30 minutes for bottomless mimosas at brunch?

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There was an article in The Onion years ago titled something like "tow truck driver has idea for tow truck movie" which I was reminded of by your anecdote. But it also makes me think that, if the life of a pimp is projecting false wealth, D Jay must be doing very badly. Maybe worse than is even put forth in the movie. His car doesn't even have matching panels.

That hair, though ...

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I legit laughed out loud at this title.

 

There was an article in The Onion years ago titled something like "tow truck driver has idea for tow truck movie" which I was reminded of by your anecdote. But it also makes me think that, if the life of a pimp is projecting false wealth, D Jay must be doing very badly. Maybe worse than is even put forth in the movie. His car doesn't even have matching panels.

https://entertainment.theonion.com/tow-truck-driver-has-great-idea-for-tow-truck-movie-1819566145

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Did anyone else think Nola and Shelby (the 2 white people) were going to get together? I didn't want that, but I felt like the movie was heading that way.

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Did anyone else think Nola and Shelby (the 2 white people) were going to get together? I didn't want that, but I felt like the movie was heading that way.

 

Oh, it definitely felt that way. I know I had an eye-rolling "of course" moment. However, I found that after that "getting to know you" scene it was almost even more weird that they *didn't* get together. If that conversation wasn't going somewhere, then that means the whole point of that scene is just to set-up a joke about how stocking vending machines for a living and smelling like Skittles is worse than being a prostitute for an emotionally unstable pimp. I'm not entirely sure it was worth it, and personally, I would love to smell like Skittles.

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Oh, it definitely felt that way. I know I had an eye-rolling "of course" moment. However, I found that after that "getting to know you" scene it was almost even more weird that they *didn't* get together. If that conversation wasn't going somewhere, then that means the whole point of that scene is just to set-up a joke about how stocking vending machines for a living and smelling like Skittles is worse than being a prostitute for an emotionally unstable pimp. I'm not entirely sure it was worth it, and personally, I would love to smell like Skittles.

I agree with this.

 

This does bring a question I had with Shelby's job. Do vending machines really have to be restocked at the crack of dawn? I live in the vending machine capital of the world and I see them being restocked at all sorts of times.

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This does bring a question I had with Shelby's job. Do vending machines really have to be restocked at the crack of dawn? I live in the vending machine capital of the world and I see them being restocked at all sorts of times.

 

Man, owning a few vending machines would be a sweet gig, because - yes - vending machines can be restocked at almost any time. It's a classic turn key operation that doesn't require much from the supplier, except for a restock every few weeks.

 

The point is: it's totally my dream job.

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There's a vending machine at my work that the guy fucks up restocking every once in a while. What happens is that he loads some of the chip bags wrong so that they don't dispense. If this happens it will go through another cycle until a bag of chips falls down. Meaning an easy double. Once a triple.

 

These are the small pleasures in life.

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But seriously, why does he smell like Skittles?

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But seriously, why does he smell like Skittles?

Let's think for a minute what would be in a typical snack vending machine and the smells associated with them. You'd have a variety of chips so there would be some vinegary smells and some BBQ smells. You'd also have Doritos so there would be a cheesy smell to it all as well. Now I'd imagine in addition to skittles in the fruity candy section you would also have some starburst. Now, which is the strongest smell of all of those? The correct answer should be none, as they are all packaged so why can you even smell them to begin with? This leads me to believe that Skittles packing must be the weakest of all packaging and therefore more susceptible to being wrongfully popped or opened. This meaning he'd smell more like skittles than any of the other smells in a typical vending machine.

 

Or maybe his partner just has terrible fruity smelling cologne and he only thinks it's Skittles he is smelling like.

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But seriously, why does he smell like Skittles?

 

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I mean... how do you eat skittles?

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Or maybe his partner just has terrible fruity smelling cologne and he only thinks it's Skittles he is smelling like.

 

Victoria's secret has a perfume called Lovespell and it smells like Skittles or maybe Froot Loops.

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Victoria's secret has a perfume called Lovespell and it smells like Skittles or maybe Froot Loops.

 

Hot.

 

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Did anyone else think Nola and Shelby (the 2 white people) were going to get together? I didn't want that, but I felt like the movie was heading that way.

 

I felt like Shelby was into her but Nola was just being flirty. She’s got business to take care of and other things to worry about.

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But seriously, why does he smell like Skittles?

Skittle Pox?

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I felt like Shelby was into her but Nola was just being flirty. She’s got business to take care of and other things to worry about.

That's kinda what I thought, too. He's a young dude who's fallen into a gig and is trying to fit in. His "my vending machine job is so hard" line is supposed to seem kinda laughable considering who he's surrounded by. But I mean, he's making music, smoking weed, flirting with prostitutes ... just tryin' to live that life, mayne.

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Man, owning a few vending machines would be a sweet gig, because - yes - vending machines can be restocked at almost any time. It's a classic turn key operation that doesn't require much from the supplier, except for a restock every few weeks.

 

The point is: it's totally my dream job.

Now we know why you picked this movie.

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Now we know why you picked this movie.

 

Yeayuh!

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I mean - being a vending machine supplier is kind of like pimping...You make your own hours, a lot of the work includes driving around, it's a complete supply and demand operation... except instead of sexy ladies it's sexy snacks and soda.

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Yeayuh!

giphy.gif

 

I mean - being a vending machine supplier is kind of like pimping...You make your own hours, a lot of the work includes driving around, it's a complete supply and demand operation... except instead of sexy ladies it's sexy snacks and soda.

Why not both?

 

 

Skittles---Taste-the-rainbow-10283.jpg

 

 

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One more thing. Did anyone else notice this gorgeous quilt hanging in Djay's studio? I love finding lovely quilts in random movies. One of my favs was from Pumpkinhead, lol.

 

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I forgot to mention how shocked I was to find out it was Taraji P. Henson as Shug. I don't think I've ever heard her sing before watching this movie so her voice completely came out of left field. I had heard of Taryn Manning despite never seeing Orange is the New Black but Taraji was a revelation.

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I also meant to ask: What is "flow"? I had never heard the term (being whiter than Wonder Bread) but the movie didn't explain it either. Djay says something like "Remember when I would flow over the PA at school" but the lyrics he records don't "flow" as I would think of it.

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I also meant to ask: What is "flow"? I had never heard the term (being whiter than Wonder Bread) but the movie didn't explain it either. Djay says something like "Remember when I would flow over the PA at school" but the lyrics he records don't "flow" as I would think of it.

 

Flow is rapping, rhyming, making poetry, talking but with style, and I guess you probably aren't flowing if you suck at it.

It's the equivalent of "Rocking"or "Rawking" if you will.

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