Notorious (2009)

hyped garbage

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I know a director needs to stick to reality when he does a movie based on real events, but somehow, I can't help but think that he could have done a lot more with the story of a Hip Hop star who got murdered in strange circumstances. Notorious rose to stardom in the blink of an eye, at least for the American audience. His catchy lyrics and great personality made him a superstar in no time. However, a sort of conflict between the East and West Coast emerged, and the resulting tension that arose form the situation ended up with the lives of two of the brightest rap stars of the decade. Now, the disappointing is that everything I just wrote I already knew before watching the movie. What else did I learn? Well Notorious seemed a bit of a nerd when he was young, he slept with loads of women, and smoked pot. I could have guessed 2 out of these 3. I don't think Notorious is a particularly good or bad movie. Just very average, but I have the sneaky feeling you can get a better deal but watching some of the documentaries about his life on Youtube.

Notorious is a cliché ridden, badly scripted, by the numbers and shallow biopic of New York rapper Christopher 'Notorious B.I.G' Wallace.If it was not for the fact that he died in 1997 I could have sworn he was an Executive Producer of this movie given how much this film hypes him up. A school nerd turned big time drug dealer and babe magnet. It did not matter if a girl in the hood showed no interest in his large girth. A few sweet words, a smile and they would be humping his large frame. This happens repeatedly throughout the film.Now I once knew a fat guy who was a babe magnet, he was also a small time drug dealer. Which begs the question did all these women fall at his feet because Notorious was a rapper or drug dealer or a nobody with lots of charm?The movie deals and speaks in clichés throughout. A character mentions not once but twice lines like, 'we are not here to play the game but to take over the game.' Many of the themes dealt here were better in earlier films like Hustle and Flow and Get rich or die trying. They also had better music.Many of the side characters are depicted in a shallow way. Sean Combs was a producer in this film and he just happens to be portrayed as a great guy in this film. Lil Kim goes from a sweet office worker to a sex bomb. Angela Bassett is a hard working, virtuous mother, who raises Notorious single handedly but her Jamaican accent is a bit off. Tupac Shakur pops in and out of this film but his shooting marks a turning point in this film and the east and west coast rivalry in the mid 1990s.The movie never deals in depth as to what was the cause of this rivalry and why Shakur was shot. The film is not interested in the casual viewer but seems to be squarely aimed at fans of Notorious B.I.G and rap enthusiasts.Even at the end of the movie it is shown that Notorious was maturing, learnt the errors of his way but again its just clichés. I was more interested to know why if it was so dangerous for him to go to California, why did he not wear a bulletproof vest and drive around in a bulletproof car with heavy security? He certainly had the money for it, so was he just arrogant or plain dumb? The film never deals with it but in real life someone would had asked those basic questions.

When a musician reaches a certain level of fame in their career, many companies will seize on the opportunity to cash in. One of these ways is through a film biopic of their life, which gives old and new fans a chance to explore the depths of their idols and see a more interesting side of them that they hadn't previously been aware of. Notorious (based on the life of rapper Notorious B.I.G) is one such example, and while it is an enjoyable and compelling piece, it is perhaps more suited to the rapper's new fans rather than his die- hard ones.The story focuses on the life of Biggie Smalls (AKA the Notorious B.I.G) from his early beginnings as a New York drug dealer to his early success when he signs on to Bad Boy Records to his personal relationships later in life to his untimely death by an unknown assailant. The story is one of the film's major problems, as while it goes over his life's important events, it often just skims through them, without going into much depth. The most detail the film goes into about his life is his womanising. It's surprising that the film has been called hagiographic, as it does show the ugly side of this, as he is very passive about it, eventually cheating on his wife because of it, who (quite rightly) throws him out of their house, and it gives both the film and its title character the conflict that it otherwise lacks, and is the most engaging part of the film because of it.The rest of the film is more standard, as it shows us many of his life's highlights in brief portions, which while interesting to those who may not be familiar with the rapper, isn't as exciting if you already know the story. It also doesn't help that the film clearly alters history for its own ends. Bad Boy Record head Puff Daddy (who also produces the film) is suspiciously portrayed more hagiographically than BIG himself, many of BIG's problems aren't perhaps as accurately as they should be (i.e. the drug dealing and firearms charges aren't as severe as they would be in reality) and you can't help that the film has a overtly negative view of the West Coast rap scene, mainly that of Suge Knight & Tupac Shukar, leading to many set-pieces (mainly one which describes why Tupac turned on Biggie) that even those who have reservations towards Suge and Tupac (I have my own) won't buy. The film still manages to be quite an enjoyable ride though, as the pacing is good and a lot of the acting is great, particularly that of Jamal Woolard as the title character. Apparently he put a lot of preparation into the role (i.e. learning the songs word perfect, researching his character), and it clearly shows, and fits perfectly into the role because of it, and brings more appreciation and depth to the rapper than the film itself. All the other actors are pretty good too, with the exception of Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shukar, who while good, doesn't bother to attempt to look (only bearing the slightest resemblance) or sound like Tupac, something even more distracting considering Jamal's accuracy to his role or how one of Tupac's songs plays on the radio at one point, making the differences even more obvious.However, despite its faults, Notorious isn't an overall bad film. It's just a very flawed biopic that is worth watching, but mainly for those who are unfamiliar with the subject, as it gives the viewer the basic facts about the star, to perhaps create new fans in the process who will look more in-depth afterwards. But for those who are die-hard fans, the film is still pretty good for what it is. Perhaps it doesn't go into as much depth as one likes, and certain details about the film have either been altered or fabricated, but it is still an entertaining, engaging and perfectly watchable film that is occasionally very detailed and you'll be treated to some fine acting, especially from Jamal Woolard who was clearly born to play the Notorious B.I.G, and it also has the very upbeat and positive message of following your dreams. It's quite good overall and is worth watching, but it may still take a while for the definitive story of the Notorious B.I.G to be made, even though this is a good first stab. Just don't confuse this for the Hitchcock one.

I loved Oliver Stone's The Doors. Though Jim Morrison was an unlikable guy, the film was compelling and I loved the music and the way the story was told. That movie was a masterpiece. When I was watching Notorious, the film about the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., I had a hard time finding anything enjoyable about it at all. The film tells the story of Notorious B.I.G.(Jamal Woolard) , his short time of fame, and his rise and fall. It shows his relationships between his wives, girlfriend, his mother, and Tupac,until(spoiler alert for anybody who actually cares)his death in 1997.I know i'm disrespecting the dead here, but this guy was not likable. He was a cheater. He cheated on his wife, he cheated on his mistress, he cheated on his mistress's mistress. He was a bad father, a bad son, a bad husband, and(please don't kill me, America), a bad musician.I don't like any of his songs, so thats why the extended concert sequences(there are plenty of them)get very aggravating after a while. Watching him do all of this stuff really got under my skin. Every time he would screw somebody, I would think" who in their right minds would screw him?"I was also thinking," How could anybody enjoy a movie about a fat black adulterer who does a lot of drugs and never stops?" I know I don't. I really started hating the film once Biggie grew up, which took about five minutes. Obviously, the director was a fan, and this is a love letter to him. But the end is the thing that really got under my skin. It shows all of this footage of people who were heartbroken after he died. And I was thinking"He wasn't Jesus". They made it seem like he'd done something for America. I know what he did: He took up space.I am not a racist. And i'm sorry for all the fans i've disrespected in this one review. But I really couldn't stand this repetitive and boring biopic that doesn't really go anywhere. I really hated this movie. "Birthdays was the worst days, now we're drinking champagne when we're thirstay". Thats a B.I. G. quote. The movie will want you to go chug some scotch afterwards. Skip it.D