Beef

One normally doesn't think of hip-hop rappers as prima donnas, but after enduring 103 minutes of Peter Spirer's documentary Beef, you're forced to conclude that today's urban music stars have egos that make the Metropolitan Opera divas look like shrinking violets by comparison. Despite strong narration by Ving Rhames and a lineup of articulate young men (including 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Ja Rule), Beef--a look at the highly publicized verbal battles between rap artists--quickly degenerates into a tiresome and endless skein of juvenile name-calling, self-aggrandizement, and terrible displays of temper. Showbiz feuds are not new (think of the long-running spat between Jack Benny and Fred Allen), but the level of animosity and mean-spirited language used in the duels between rival artists, coupled with a seemingly never-ending MC battle, results in a less than appetizing slice-of-urban-life. Hip-hop fans will no doubt appreciate the all-star cast assembled here, but the film is all blabber, and will lead most viewers to ask--echoing the late Clara Peller: "where's the beef?" DVD extras include three bonus segments. Not recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)