50 Cent: The Non-Actor

Sheer curiosity pulled me into the movie theater to see 50 Cent's acting debut in his semi-autobiographical "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
A shrewd move by 50 Cent was to surround himself by incredible talent. Jim Sheridan, acclaimed director of "My Left Foot" and "In America," helms this movie. Terrence Howard, fresh off a year of powerful performances in "Crash" and "Hustle & Flow," co-stars, and Bill Duke gives this movie some heft.
But the center of the movie is 50 Cent. And 50 Cent can't hold the center.
The muscle-bound rapper never exposes much except his rippling chest. His face is drained of emotion. He smiles at times, and in one pivotal scene, he cries.
Yet, 50 Cent's character Marcus seems distant. We don't understand his passion for rap because we don't see it. We don't see how the death of Marcus's mother affects him, how it influences how he lives his life.
Marcus's motivations remain a mystery. Considering this is 50 Cent's life, I can't question the authenticity of this movie.
But I do question 50 Cent's performance, in which his presence barely registers, where we never get beyond the surface of 50 Cent's life.
We hear enough of 50 Cent's life in his rhymes. We deserve something deeper to appear on the screen and we never get that.