MovieChat Forums > 8 Mile (2002) Discussion > When Kim Basinger's character says "What...

When Kim Basinger's character says "What am *I* gonna do?" and Eminem's character goes...


... "What did we ever do to you?" - was he implying that his mother became weak and incompetent due to some grudge she felt against him?

And also. Couldn't her character say simply say this because she was lost in how to figure her way out of the whole situation. But was Eminem right to blame her with such a remark?

Also. It may or may not be relevant but...

There have been rumours that Eminem's real mother was abusive to him. And since this movie is partially based around him, Basinger's character was sort of meant to echo his real mother. But, besides a few moments of mother's lacking in care, we don't see Basinger's character as particularly abusive.

Besides. Maybe he and his family didn't "do" anything wrong to the mother. But then, maybe not being super bright and ultra clever and a very hard working character etc, maybe she is incapable of working long hours and days herself and earning a lot of money. Or was she at one point almost as competent on those levels and then once gave up?

And maybe she knew that the young daughter Lily was also by herself. But having Michael Shannon's character leave left her somewhat powerless?

What do we think, thanks.

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She was negligent. Right before he screams that line, he talks about how Lily is sitting out there by herself. She didn’t pay attention to them like a mother should’ve . That’s all the line meant

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So what was she supposed to have done and said instead to be more caring?

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The movie shows how she was a bad mother. When rabbit first comes, he opens the fridge and notes there was no milk. When she first tells him of the eviction notice, he mocks her for not having a job or looking for a job (“I gotta go; be late for WORK”). In the scene where he comes home and sees her sitting on the steps, she’s clearly high on some drugs. And though there are many scenes where rabbit talks and plays with Lily affectionately, we never see Rabbit’s mother do so

So that’s what she needed to do: Get a job, get off drugs, provide food for the children, and talk to them the way a mother should etc

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Today Kim Bassingers character could start and OF account and be an empowered queen doing “where are all the good men” dating videos for TikTok.

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