Notorious (2009)
Biopic of the late, great Notorious B.I.G.. The actor with b.i.g. shoes to fill is Jamal Woolard, a fellow MC from Biggie's hometown of Brooklyn where the majority of the film will be set. A whole host of other hip hop celebrities are being portrayed throughout the story - P. Diddy, Lil Kim, Suge Knight and Tupac amongst them - that charts Biggie's rise out of the ghetto and into the big time before being shot dead in Los Angeles, 1997, at the peak of his fame.
Training Day's Antoine Fuqua was set to direct but pulled out at the last minute, so duties went to George Tillman who's last film was 2000's Men of Honour. Sean "Diddy" Combs is one of the producers.
- Director:
- George Tillman Jr. ('Men of Honour')
- Writer:
- Reggie Rock BythewoodCheo Hodari Coker
- Cast:
- Anthony MackieAngela BassettDerek LukeNaturi NaughtonJamal WoolardCharles Malik Whitfield
Reviews & comments
BIG Surprise
I went along to see this movie with low expectations, as its not my typical genre of music. Really pleasant surprise is that its a film for all people, not just Notorious fans. Watching at Sky City Manukau with the music on the big cinema speakers you cannot help but tap along in your seats to the tunes. All in all though its an extraordinary and uplifting...
Variety
pressA rock-solid biopic with a foolproof rise-and-fall storyline and a warmly nuanced performance by Jamal Woolard.
Total Film
pressGeorge Tillman’s serviceable but uninspired Biggie biopic contrives to ignore the elephant in the room. Was Biggie involved in Tupac’s shooting(s)?
The New York Times
pressNotorious settles into a curious comfort zone; it's half pop fable, half naturalistic docudrama. Not a bad movie, but nowhere near as strong as its soundtrack.
Roger Ebert
pressA good film in many ways, but its best achievement is the casting of Jamal Woolard, a rapper named Gravy, in the title role.
Premiere Magazine
pressAngela Bassett is great as his strict, single mother; The soundtrack is great, of course, and the ending features moving archival footage of the streets of Brooklyn after Wallace's murder.
Newshub
pressIf you’re a Biggy fan, you’ll easily see past the flaws of the film for the bliss it provides, and you’ll probably walk out misty-eyed. If you’re not a Biggy fan, as a modern Hollywood hip-hop piece it beats the pants off Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin' or 8 Mile.
Los Angeles Times
pressThrough it all are the rhymes and the music, hugely enjoyable in their own right, and the long, large shadow of Biggie.
Hollywood Reporter
pressFor a man apparently making his first film, Woolard carries the movie like a pro. Cross your fingers that this is no fluke, for this guy could be a real comer.
Variety
pressA rock-solid biopic with a foolproof rise-and-fall storyline and a warmly nuanced performance by Jamal Woolard.
Total Film
pressGeorge Tillman’s serviceable but uninspired Biggie biopic contrives to ignore the elephant in the room. Was Biggie involved in Tupac’s shooting(s)?
The New York Times
pressNotorious settles into a curious comfort zone; it's half pop fable, half naturalistic docudrama. Not a bad movie, but nowhere near as strong as its soundtrack.
Roger Ebert
pressA good film in many ways, but its best achievement is the casting of Jamal Woolard, a rapper named Gravy, in the title role.
Premiere Magazine
pressAngela Bassett is great as his strict, single mother; The soundtrack is great, of course, and the ending features moving archival footage of the streets of Brooklyn after Wallace's murder.
Newshub
pressIf you’re a Biggy fan, you’ll easily see past the flaws of the film for the bliss it provides, and you’ll probably walk out misty-eyed. If you’re not a Biggy fan, as a modern Hollywood hip-hop piece it beats the pants off Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin' or 8 Mile.
Los Angeles Times
pressThrough it all are the rhymes and the music, hugely enjoyable in their own right, and the long, large shadow of Biggie.
Hollywood Reporter
pressFor a man apparently making his first film, Woolard carries the movie like a pro. Cross your fingers that this is no fluke, for this guy could be a real comer.
BIG Surprise
I went along to see this movie with low expectations, as its not my typical genre of music. Really pleasant surprise is that its a film for all people, not just Notorious fans. Watching at Sky City Manukau with the music on the big cinema speakers you cannot help but tap along in your seats to the tunes. All in all though its an extraordinary and...
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