Eminem had his semiautobiographical film debut. Now it’s 50 Cent’s turn. “Loosely based” on the story of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s rise through the rough streets, Get Rich treads on some familiar territory. While there are some decent performances (courtesy of Terrence Howard, among others) and 50 Cent has a modicum of charisma, the movie doesn’t have enough to sustain itself or to make you truly believe that 50 Cent has this burning desire to get his words out in rap. In fact, rapping feels like an afterthought here.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic video crisply shows off the mean streets, but you can’t escape the feeling that you’ve visited these streets in much better films that made those streets look better, to boot. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is sorely underused, and I spent most of my time trying to decipher what 50 Cent and other actors were trying to say. Even the big performance finale is a letdown, as far as the sound is concerned. It’s sadly disappointing.

The special features are bare bones. Aside from the trailers for other films that run when you play the disc, which are listed under “Previews” in the features, there is a theatrical trailer for the film and a brief behind-the-scenes that is of very little interest. Given 50 Cent’s following, a live performance would have been appreciated at the very least.

Get rich, die tryin’, or just find a better DVD for your home system.