Eminem’s new album, Kamikaze, isn’t the only project he’s releasing this year. The musician recently produced an independent film called Bodied , which got a limited theatrical release on November 2.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Award: Midnight Madness. After last night’s opening in only 14 theaters, the movie is generating major buzz online and carries a critical review of 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes . Forty-eight out of 55 critics agree that Bodied is a clever take on PC-culture, expressed through the medium of battle rapping.
#BodiedMovie cast rolling deep at our LA premiere! From producer @Eminem , BODIED is now playing in select theaters! Get tickets: https://t.co/3FOzNTC6Ea pic.twitter.com/sPCNaSdcFd
— Bodied (@BodiedMovie) November 3, 2018
Bodied isn’t just impressing the critics, as the movie also carries a 97 percent audience approval as well.
Matt Zoller Seitz praised the film, giving it 3.5 out of a possible four stars on RogerEbert calling it “impressive” and saying the film “fuses poetry and rap with Shakespearean constructions in which language examines itself.”
“Scene for scene, this is a remarkable film, superbly acted, directed, photographed and edited, thought provoking but unpretentious. It holds a mirror up to itself as well as to hip-hop culture, and stares until it blinks.”
Eminem’s last project, Kamikaze , was a massive commercial success and scored well with fans, but landed among mixed reactions from critics. Mostly the album was critiqued for its lyrical content, which many found offensive. Still, many felt it was the best Eminem album in more than a decade.
Dedicated to ensuring fans got a chance to see Bodied , Eminem recently bought out a movie theater in Detroit, Michigan, and let fans see the movie for free. The theater was an AMC in the Sterling Heights area of Detroit and let fans in for free last night. There will be more free showings at the same theater tonight.
Bodied is described as a “battle rap comedy-drama”and is directed by Joseph Kahn from a script written by Alex Larsen. Calum Worthy, Jackie Long, and Rory Uphold star in the new film. It has been acquired by YouTube Red for exclusive distribution right in the United States.
Bodied is expected to get a streaming release set for later this year.
Eminem made headlines earlier this year when he surprise-released Kamikaze , a decidedly angry album which blasts rappers and music critics across the country. The album culminated in a major beef with rapper Machine Gun Kelly, which yielded diss tracks like “Rap Devil” and “Killshot.” Both Diss tracks were major hits on YouTube and streaming platforms like Spotify.
