Notorious (2009)

one of my absolute favorites!

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Notorious tells the story of Biggie Small aka Notorious B.I.G. whose real name is Christopher Wallace. The movie begins with a drive-by shooting that murder the rapper and flashes back to his childhood. He listened to music on the radio and admired the rap groups in the magazines. Though he grew up without a father, his mother Voletta (Angela Bassett) makes sure he succeeds in school. Christopher (Jamal Woolard) grows up amongst the crack dealing streets, learning how the streets run. He is shown briefly in childhood practicing his rhymes and then as a teenager counting his money and changing his clothes after his mother thinks he leaves for school. He taunts his teacher and flirts with his girlfriend, finding out she's pregnant. On the corner, they sell crack and spit rhymes, beating a rival in a rap battle. When his mom kicks him out, he gets deeper into the crime, running other dealers and even selling to a pregnant woman. He finds himself in jail, asking his mom for trouble. Bored in prison, he writes out his story in rhymes until his release. Out of prison and needing to earn for his daughter, Biggie Small records his raps and brings them to Sean 'Puffy' Combs (Derek Luke). Puffy sees potential but gets fired before he can give Biggie a chance.Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

Notorious is a biographical film about the life and murder of The Notorious B.I.G.,played by Jamal Woolard.The cast also includes Angela Bassett,Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie.The script is provided by Cheo Hodari Coker and Reggie Rock Blythewood.George Tillman, Jr. directed the film.The movie is like a piece of well-crafted gem. It looks good, and facets of it shine, but behind the gilded facade there's not much there.The movie leaves us with the sense that, twelve years after Biggie Smalls's death, a lot of people are trying to extract whatever profit or pride they can from the chaotic life of a young man who was, as he well knew, a work in progress.While the script provides ample illustrations of Wallace's tough life, there is not enough focus on what set the recording star apart from his peers or why he became so incredibly popular so quickly.Overall,it is an intermittently entertaining but thoroughly conventional and standard biopic.

Notorious kept my interest until the end. I thought Woolard did a great Biggie and the set pieces were spot on. The editing and production value was tight and the plot seemed to flow well. The music was perfect for the time it was representing, and the east/west coast rivalry of the mid 90s was portrayed well. Unfortunately Notorious is a safe movie, hardly shedding any light on Christopher Wallace and the "gangster" times. The Tupac issue was treaded lightly and I never really felt the connection. You would think with Sean Combs as a producer, we could get a real behind the scenes feel of the boiling situation, but instead we get a watered down, submissive, cliché biopic. All in all Notorious is a decent movie with a great actor at the helm. If you are a Biggie fan, watch it for a trip down memory lane, but don't expect to learn any more about the deep, sometimes disturbing Christopher Wallace. 7.2/10

Notorious is a biographical film about the rapper Notorious, how he came to fame, and his death. It's pretty educational regarding his life, I learned a lot of things I didn't know.Something that really bothers me about movies based on real life is when the characters don't look anything like who they're supposed to be. The only person who really looked like who they were supposed to was Notorious, but everyone else was confusing. A lot of the time I was just waiting for someone to call somebody else by their names before I knew what was going on. That was really frustrating for me.Another thing I've heard is that it doesn't capture the amazing personality of Notorious, and I kind of understand. It does capture a little bit of it though, for sure. The film didn't really make me understand how he became so famous and loved so fast. It tried to say it, but it was way too vague and quick about it. There was too much focus on his love life and not enough on his career, in my opinion.The plot was interesting. It's made even more interesting because it's true. I liked the story-telling techniques by the director, but I feel like he could have done better. There were some things that needed more explaining, and some things that needed less. It's all right.The music is great, but of course, only if you like rap. If not, you probably won't have a good time. I really love Biggie's style and I think he was really skilled, so I really enjoyed watching the parts when he was rapping. It has a great soundtrack.Main point, I liked this film. It had beautiful shots and a nice style. It captured the streets of New York and the dangers of the gangster life. I'm not saying it's the best one ever, but it was a little better than decent. I recommend it for a rent or to borrow from a buddy, but I probably won't be buying it soon.