Release Date:
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Skinny: Notorious presents the brief life story of Christopher Wallace (aka hip hop superstar Biggie Smalls/The Notorious B.I.G.) from his early days as a rap dreamer to his murder at the age of 24. This movie, we assume, is dedicated to all the teachers who told him he'd never amount to nothin', to all the people that lived above the buildings he was hustlin' in front of who called the police on him when he was just tryin' to make some money to feed his daughter, and all the n****s in the struggle.
The Good: Newcomer Jamal Woolard makes for a convincing Biggie, which is a surprise because he doesn't quite nail the big man's hefty voice and larger-than-life stature but still engages enough to carry the story. The three-disc version packs a decent amount of special features (the third disc is just the "digital copy," which is a lame attempt to make the package seem bigger and better than it is). And you can't beat the soundtrack.
The Bad: Notorious never rises above standard biopic cliché, and it's saddled with some really strained dialogue (Angela Bassett should have gotten hazard pay for some of the stuff she's forced to mouth) and over-explanatory voice-over (always the sign of a weak script). And we're not sure if the presence of P. Diddy as executive producer scared Derek Luke into a cardboard performance as the man, but something had to.
Best Extra: "I've Got A Story To Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls" puts the focus where it should be, on the music.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: Get a grip muthafucker—this is a rental.
The Good: Newcomer Jamal Woolard makes for a convincing Biggie, which is a surprise because he doesn't quite nail the big man's hefty voice and larger-than-life stature but still engages enough to carry the story. The three-disc version packs a decent amount of special features (the third disc is just the "digital copy," which is a lame attempt to make the package seem bigger and better than it is). And you can't beat the soundtrack.
The Bad: Notorious never rises above standard biopic cliché, and it's saddled with some really strained dialogue (Angela Bassett should have gotten hazard pay for some of the stuff she's forced to mouth) and over-explanatory voice-over (always the sign of a weak script). And we're not sure if the presence of P. Diddy as executive producer scared Derek Luke into a cardboard performance as the man, but something had to.
Best Extra: "I've Got A Story To Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls" puts the focus where it should be, on the music.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: Get a grip muthafucker—this is a rental.
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