Hustle & FlowMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Hustle & Flow."

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Avg. Critic Score: 68 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 not for kids
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The home-studio recording sequences in Hustle & Flow are funky, rowdy, and indelible. Brewer gives us the pleasure of watching characters create music from the ground up. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    The performances are accomplished, but the real star of Hustle & Flow is Brewer, a playwright who has written and directed a few other movies but who is effectively making a breathtaking national debut here. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Every good actor has a season when he comes into his own, and this is Terrence Howard's time. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    Unfolds in the satisfying fashion of classic Hollywood movies that strike a balance between grit and heart. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Explosive entertainment. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    So much love went into Hustle & Flow that it almost glows with it. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    The best thing Hustle & Flow has going for it is Terrence Howard's powerful performance. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    It's more of an urban fairy tale, a surprisingly charming story that -- in certain sections -- almost crystallizes into the sweetness of a Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musical. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Director Craig Brewer has given his second feature film a vibrant pulse amplified by an outstanding cast led by Terrence Howard. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    This disdain for women is not incidental to the film; it is integral to the fantasy Mr. Brewer is selling, which is that pimping is not as hard as it looks. Read full review

View more reviews for Hustle & Flow on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids This movie is for adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the movie, focused on the efforts of a pimp trying to change his life, features explicit references to sex and prostitution (as well as scenes in a strip club). Characters use harsh language, smoke, drink, do drugs, have sex, and fight with one another, on occasion drawing blood. Women wear scanty clothing.
  • Families can talk about the obstacles DJay tries to overcome, including poverty and lack of education. How are his ideas shaped by media images (music videos, news)? How does music help him gain another perspective on his life? How is this pimp and drug dealer simultaneously appalling and sympathetic? How does he treat the women around him?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Protagonist is a pimp, and aspires to be a hip-hop star.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Brutal fight at the end.
  • sex false5 Sex: References befitting a story of a pimp and prostitutes, scene in a strip club.
  • language false5 Language: Very strong language.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Liquor names.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Main character sells marijuana; characters drink, smoke, do drugs.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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