Robert "Cheddar Bob" Zurowsky, later known as M.C. Bob, is Jimmy's "dumb friend"[1], and a member of Jimmy's crew, "The 313 Crew". They are involved in a street war with a rival gang known as "Tha Free World". Cheddar Bob is portrayed as goofy and rather dimwitted, but makes up for this by his heart and loyalty, as seen when he pulls a gun on Tha Free World during a scuffle. This is one of his most memorable moments in the movie, as when he is putting the gun away, he shoots himself in the leg, striking an artery and leaving him in crutches for the rest of the movie. Cheddar was portrayed by Evan Jones.
Appearance in 8 Mile[]
He is often seen with his friends, usually smoking weed. He was present during Rabbit's choke in the opening battle. After the gang is encouraged to destroy an old abandoned house because a little girl was raped there, and it might happen again, Cheddar, despite his friends telling him not to, sets the house on fire, unaware that Jimmy is still upstairs, but Jimmy manages to escape the building unharmed.
He is present again when Jimmy and his gang attack Tha Free World on the side or road. During the commotion, Bob reveals to have a gun, pulling it out and pointing it at Tha Free World. He points out that Papa Doc had one earlier, and tells Jimmy he took it from his mom. This starts to frighten everyone, and Rabbit orders him to put the gun away. As he tucks it into his pants, he shoots himself in the upper leg, and is rushed to the hospital. On the drive to the hospital, the whole group begins shouting and yelling at each other, with Sol yelling "He shot his fuckin dick off!", which freaks out Bob even more. While DJ Iz is telling everyone to calm down, Bob proclaims to Jimmy and the rest of the car that he wants to be called "M.C. Bob" from now on, to which Jimmy calls him, to reassure and comfort his friend.
After Jimmy checks Bob into the hospital, he returns to the car, where more arguring erupts. Jimmy gets very angry over this, leaving the car and slamming his door. He reminds everyone that Bob is laying in the hospital right now, and they still wanna act like this. This scene clearly shows Jimmy's friendship, loyalty, and concern of well being for his man's Cheddar Bob, and its obvious that he thinks his well being should be everyone's main concern at the moment.
Bob is then released from the hospital offscreen. When the crew go to check on him the next day, he pretends to be sleeping, but Jimmy notices Bob peaking through the curtains, and confronts him. Bob admits he didn't want them to make fun of him. Jimmy understands, and calls him "MC Bob" once more, again reassuring his friend.
Cheddar is present when Rabbit is battling Papa Doc. Rabbit brings up the shooting incident, rapping, "I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bob, who shoots himself in his leg with his own gun". After hearing his name rapped, Cheddar exclaims "That's me!".
After Rabbit wins the battle, Bob and the crew congratulate him. As Rabbit begins walking back to work, Bob gets the very last line of dialogue in the film, shouting, "Piece out Rabbit!", as "Lose Yourself" begins to play, and then the credits roll.
Trivia[]
- From the Eminem documentary, Diamonds and Pearls, one of Marshall's childhood friends, Robert Claus, claims to be the inspiration for the Cheddar Bob character in 8 Mile.[2]
- Cheddar Bob's last name is Zurowsky, it was said during the fight with Greg Buehl: "Just like Bob Zurowsky. All your friends still living at home, aren't they? What a bunch of ass losers."[3]
- Real Cheddar Bob never actually shot himself.[2]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cheddar%20Bob
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ranker's 8 Mile movie vs Eminem's Life | Retrieved: January 28th, 2020
- ↑ https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/89970/what-was-cheddar-bobs-last-name
External Links[]
- Wikipedia page for Evan Jones, the actor who played Cheddar.
- A short clip of the scene where Cheddar shoots himself in the upper leg with a gun.
| Part of the series of the Three One Third crew | |
| B-Rabbit · Future · Cheddar Bob · Sol George · Dj Iz | |