Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The most engaging aspects of The American Dream, a direct-to-DVD biopic of Houston rapper Mike Jones, aren't the re-enacted recording-studio sessions or the turbulent street-life subplots.
Those moments never truly catch fire and, at times, drag down the action.
Jones, and the film itself, are most effective when the mood is intimate and unassuming - playing dominos with his grandmother, talking sweetly on the phone with girlfriend Tasha.
"I was able to be me,'' says Jones, who stars as himself and co-wrote the screenplay. "When you're playing a character, you got to dress up like them, get your hair cut to fit the description.
"With Mike Jones, I can wear my do-rag, I can wear the clothes I've been wearing.''
The American Dream, in stores today, also sparkles during a few early scenes at Frenchy's Chicken. Jones worked at the local institution before he became a multiplatinum hip-hop star. His exchanges with teasing co-workers are warm and effortless, and Jones has a humble, pleasing screen presence.
"Frenchy's was my reality. Cooking chicken and making fries. I hate that place," Jones says in a voice over.
"Hip-hop was my dream."
Most of the film, then, follows his larger struggle to be heard. Jones starts small, selling CDs out of his trunk and creating rhymes alongside his Ice Age clique, which includes younger brother "Lil Soulja."
"I wanted to let people know my American dream, and hopefully they can take from it and go grind and live their own American dream," Jones says.
"I want people to know Mike Jones as an artist."
Early in the film, we see how Jones turned a brusk brush-off into his trademark tagline.
"I'm Mike Jones!" he boasts to a flock of eye-rolling females outside of a packed club.
"Who? Mike Jones?" they ask before erupting into cackles.
Fans know how the rest goes. Jones released his major-label debut, Who Is Mike Jones? in April 2005. It was certified double-platinum on the strength of singles Still Tippin' and Back Then.
That smash success set the stage for Jones to reach out to new media avenues. He starred in a pair of episodes of Fox's Prison Break (as a fictional character) but says he's been wanting to chronicle his early life for several years.
"I was a new artist coming up. I couldn't really just say, 'I want to do a movie.' I had to show and prove (myself)," Jones says. "To even have (my story) in a movie, that was a shock. To have everybody accept what I put together, that's priceless."
The film co-stars character actors Clifton Powell (CSI, Eve, Moesha), Tamala Jones (My Name Is Earl, Ghost Whisperer, ER) and Hassan Johnson (Numb3rs, The Wire).
Much like his early days chronicled on film, Jones' current path has been littered with delays. The DVD's release date has shuffled several times — from May to July to September — before finally locking into this week. It premiered Friday on BET.
Jones' official follow-up to his Who Is Mike Jones? disc was intended to complement the film and originally shared the same patriotic tag. The record will now be released next year under a different name.
The American Dream DVD is now packaged with a six-song EP featuring previously released songs.
"We wanted to make sure it was right," Jones says of the timing. "We got a lot of support (now). Everything's just falling into place."
But beyond chart hopes and sales figures, the rapper is using his American Dream to pay homage to the driving influence in his life, his grandmother, who died before Jones made it beyond the city limits.
According to the film, it was grandma who, during a game of dominos, discouraged Jones from adopting a flashier stage name. She also suggested he give his phone number and e-mail address to fans and get his music played in strip clubs because ladies "like to feel special."
"(I'll) always remember her," Jones says. "The movie basically lets people know ... (to) take time and listen to your elders instead of going out in the streets to get your advice in gangs. You get the best advice at home."
"My grandmother was very influential in my life. Before she helped me out as an artist, she helped me out as a person. I glorify my grandmother."