Hustle and Flow
Cast: Terrence Howard, Taryn Manning, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal
DJ Qualls, Isaac Hayes, Ludacris
 DJAY (Terrence Howard) is a hardworking pimp who spends most days in his parked Chevy philosophizing about life. DJay’s a good pimp but bad with money. He and his girls, including runaway NOLA (Taryn Manning), make enough to get by. In the midst of a mid-life crisis, DJay harbors dreams of recording his flow and becoming a respected rapper. When pot client and club owner, ARNEL (Isaac Hayes) tells DJay that local rapper turned mogul, SKINNY BLACK (Ludacris), is rolling through town for July 4th, DJay agrees to hook Skinny up with primo weed.
After he trades a Casio keyboard for a bag of weed and bumps into KEY (Anthony Anderson), an old friend from high school who records church choirs, DJay takes it as a sign that he should make a demo and get it to Skinny Black. DJay convinces Key to help him record his flow by telling him he knows Skinny and can get the tape to him. Key invites white piano prodigy SHELBY (DJ Qualls), who brings his beat machine to the party and pretty soon they find themselves caught up in the excitement of making music. Even his girls contribute as pregnant SHUG (Taraji P. Henson) sings the hooks and Nola turns tricks to finance his operation. Back at home, stripper LEXUS (Paula Jai Parker) taunts DJay about his dream prompting him to toss her and her baby out of his house. DJay and his motley crew finish their demo tape. On the big night, Shug gives DJay a necklace with his moniker and he gives her a passionate kiss for luck before heading off to his destiny. Whatever the outcome, DJay has corralled hope out of his team; Nola, Key, Shelby and Shug all have a lot riding on DJay’s success.
At the club, DJay hustles Skinny Black with his convincing gab and gives him the tape. Skinny promises to listen since, as he puts it, “Everybody gotta have a dream.” DJay stops at the bar to thank Arnel for the hook up but his euphoria is spoiled when he soon discovers Skinny in the bathroom with the tape unspooled in the toilet. DJay freaks and beats Skinny down, shoots his bodyguard and runs from the club only to later turn himself into the cops in front of his crew. He puts Nola in charge of getting the demo played and is carted off to jail.
Key visits DJay some time later and tells him that not only did Nola get the record played, but also it’s blowing up on the radio and when DJay is released in 11 months, his crew will be there for him to pick up where they left off. On the way back to his cell, two guards congratulate DJay on his track and ask him to listen to their demo. He takes the tape and agrees to listen to it, because “Everybody gotta have a dream.”
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, "Hustle & Flow" is produced by John Singleton ("Boyz N the Hood," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Four Brothers") and Stephanie Allain and written and directed by newcomer Craig Brewer.
http://www.hustleandflow.com |
