MOVIE REVIEW 'Get Rich' aware of ridiculousness

The movie's premise would be ridiculous if it weren't close to the truth.
By CHRIS HEWITT
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
The plot of "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' addresses many questions about rapper 50 Cent but not the biggie: What's with the thin line of facial hair that surrounds his face like an outlined cartoon and that, somehow, he maintains even when he's in solitary confinement?
The movie is destined to be compared to "8 Mile," which also starred the rapper (Eminem) on whose life it was based. But, whereas "8 Mile" combined "Star Search" and hip-hop, "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' combines "Star Search" and "Scarface." It's the rags-to-bling story of a drug dealer who requires a lot of wake-up calls before he realizes violent crime isn't a realistic way out of the ghetto, but, you guessed it, rap superstardom is.
The premise of "Get Rich" would be ridiculous if it weren't close to the truth and if the movie weren't refreshingly aware of its ridiculousness. Director Jim Sheridan keeps things moving, but he's not afraid to dawdle over behavior that's unexpectedly funny or to give the magnetic Terrence Howard time to do his thing as 50 Cent's pusher colleague.
"Get Rich" takes its time because it wants us to notice when it cribs from other movies so we'll be way of ahead of 50 Cent's Young Caesar as he tries to figure out who his dad is (there's really only one candidate) and who killed his mom (same deal). We're supposed to be a little frustrated that Young Caesar takes so long to learn lessons that should be obvious, just as it takes awhile for 50 Cent to turn off his bashful, I'm-not-so-bad smile and replace it with something more charismatic and soulful.