Hustle & Flow

The basic plot is this: DJay (played by Terrence Howard) is a pimp who lives on the rough streets of Memphis, Tennessee on a daily basis. At the cusp of his fortieth year, he is extremely weary of his existence and yearns for something bigger.

When he encounters an old acquaintance who is currently in the music business, DJay is encouraged to change the ways he lives and utilizes his criminal past as inspiration for his rap songs. Djay hustles to get the attention of a rap celebrity - and maybe get recruited by a label - when he learns that a rap star is arriving in the city.

In 2005, when the movie "Hustle & Flow" debuted at Sundance, nobody knew what they should expect. A new director (Craig Brewer) entered the scene, and nobody knew anything about his capabilities. Meanwhile, after more than 30 films, Terrence Howard was striving to make a breakthrough in a leading part. In the end, turns out these two did not disappoint at all!

Along with the theme song ("It's Hard for a Pimp") that won the movie an Academy Award - and Howard's amazing performance that earned him a nomination for Best Actor - "Hustle & Flow" is unquestionably one of the most emotional, uplifting, feel-good pictures that people have ever seen in decades.

Year of Release: 2005

Stars: Terrance Howard, Anthony Anderson

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%