Eminem's '8 Mile' Journey

Rapper Eminem, the star of the film "8 Mile," arrives for its premiere Nov. 6, 2002, in Los Angeles. The long-awaited film, which has been getting good reviews, opens in the U.S. on Nov. 8.

Eminem with fellow rapper Obie Trice at the "8 Mile" premiere. The soundtrack for the movie, featuring music from the bad boy rapper as well as Jay-Z, Nas and D-12, debuted at No. 1, selling an estimated 702,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Singer Christina Aguilera arrives as a guest at the Hollywood premiere of Eminem's movie.

Actress Lucy Liu arrives as a guest. The film, which some describe as an Eminem biography, is set against Detroit's hip-hop scene in 1995. It tells the story of Jimmy Smith Jr., a young white rapper struggling to find his voice.

Kim Basinger, a cast member of the film "8 Mile," waves to fans as she arrives at the Nov. 6 screening. Basinger plays the mother of Eminem's character in the movie. She also starred in "LA Confidential," another movie directed by Curtis Hanson.

Eminem poses for photographers. His current album, "The Eminem Show", has remained in the top 10 on the charts for more than five months.

Singer Avril Lavigne arrives as a guest for the premiere of "8 Mile." The title refers to Detroit's 8 Mile Road, the the city's perimeter and a psychological dividing line between urban and suburban and between black and white.

Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson arrive as guests at the "8 Mile" premiere.

Rapper Dr. Dre points to Brian Grazer, producer of the film. Grazer won an Academy Award last year for "Beautiful Mind."

Actress and rapper Queen Latifah arrives as a guest.

"8-Mile" director Curtis Hanson pauses during an interview in Birmingham, Mich. Hanson initially hesitated at using Detroit as a setting for the Eminem movie, but eventually agreed to shoot it here because of the unique visual opportunities it offered.

Eminem, portraying Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith Jr., appears in a scene from the new semi-autobiographical film. The film so closely represents a period in the Grammy-winning rapper's life that it's difficult to determine where his on-screen alter ego leaves off and Eminem begins.

In this scene Jimmy (Eminem) is seen riding the bus to his factory job.

Jimmy (Eminem) stares down his opponent in a freestyle rap battle.