Get Rich or Die Tryin'

50 Cent's first film, loosely adapted from his own life. Marcus grows up dealing, survives being shot, and tries to build a rap career. Jim Sheridan directed, and Terence Winter, who would later create Boardwalk Empire, wrote it. There is a telling casting detail: Samuel L. Jackson turned down a role because he considered 50 Cent unproven as an actor. Years later Sheridan acknowledged the film came out the wrong way and that his lead's limited acting experience was a problem. Shooting ran from April to June 2005 across New York, Toronto, Wasaga Beach and Ireland. Paramount released it on 9 November 2005. Against a 40 million dollar budget it grossed 46.5 million worldwide. Reviews were harsh, with Rotten Tomatoes at 17 percent and a consensus that it is too similar to other rags-to-riches stories to resonate. Roger Ebert went the other way, giving it three stars out of four and calling it a drama with power and anger. CinemaScore audiences gave it an A minus. What lasted was the music: the soundtrack went platinum and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Who it is for: listeners of 50 Cent and anyone curious about rap cinema of the 2000s. Who it is not for: viewers looking for acting. The weakest thing here is the performance at its centre.