Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a 2005 American hip-hop crime drama film starring rapper 50 Cent in his feature film acting debut. It was released on November 9, 2005, and was known as Locked and Loaded during production. Similar to the 2002 Eminem film 8 Mile, which it used as a template, it is based on 50 Cent's own life and was directed by Jim Sheridan. The name of the film is shared with 50 Cent's debut album of the same name.

Plot
Marcus "Young Caesar" Greer (Jackson) begins his young life as a criminal in the rough streets of New York City. Years later, Marcus becomes a highly successful rap singer.

After losing his mother to murder as a boy, Marcus (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) has little support in his life. He starts working for drug dealer Levar (Bill Duke) and his assistant (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Although Marcus makes good money selling, his dream is to become a rapper. When he reunites with an old love (Joy Bryant) and is later shot numerous times during a robbery, Marcus decides it's time to change his life. However, his old associates won't let him go so easily.

Why It Should Get Poor or Live Tryin'

 * 1) The storyline is poorly written.
 * 2) Many of the characters are appalling:
 * 3) * Marcus is a poor role model in the earlier parts of the film by beginning his life as a criminal.
 * 4) * Weak supporting characters.
 * 5) Poor acting.
 * 6) Arguably the most depressing thing about the film is seeing Marcus getting shot (especially since 50 Cent got shot in real life).
 * 7) The film is slow at points.
 * 8) So many historical inaccuracies.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) A fictionalized autobiography of one's self can work sometimes like 8 Mile worked well for Eminem. This film might have been Curtis’ way of making a film similar to 8 Mile.
 * 2) The songs fit the various tones of the story, especially the dark tones.
 * 3) 50 Cent's performance is decent
 * 4) Marcus changes his ways and achieves his goal to become a rapper near the end of the film.

Reception
Get Rich or Die Tryin' received negative reviews from critics, though 50 Cent's performance received praise. It holds a 16% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based upon 117 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "While it may be based upon 50 Cent's own life experiences, Get Rich or Die Tryin' is too similar to many other rags-to-riches stories to resonate." Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times gave the film a 2 out of 5 and stated in his review of the film, "The film's inability to resist the lure of maximum exploitation becomes frustrating." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+ and stated in her review that the film was "Neither powerful nor interesting."

Box Office
The film opened up at #4 at the box office on its opening weekend and made $12,020,807 in the U.S. It would later gross $30,985,352. In foreign countries, it made $15,457,176. The film had a disastrous box office return of only $46,442,528 against its $40 million budget making it a box office bomb.