Posted on 01/30/2009
Notorious, the biopic of Christopher Wallace, deals with the struggle, the hustle, the rise, the fame, the women, the game, and the eventual “fall” of the Notorious B.I.G. Ranging from Biggie’s time as a kid to his funeral along Fort Greene, this George Tillman Jr. film provides us with stunning performance visuals of the Black Frank White, but lacks grit, decent dialogue, and noticeable details that hip-hop heads everywhere will notice. Instead, we are given mountains of fluff, numerous quick fixes, and some good/bad casting for characters that aren’t engaging.

As a kid, Christopher Wallace (played by Biggie’s actual son) wanted the bling, the cash, and the attention. He resorted to drug dealing to score some quick loot. After realizing his potential in rhyming by winning a street battle, he runs into some quick legal issues and spends some time in jail; a place where he uses his time to write his rhymes and perfect his craft. After creating a demo tape that catches the eye of ambitious and motivated producer, Sean “Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), who finds the talent and marketability in Wallace, “Party and Bullsh*t” becomes an underground hit and so begins the journey of the Notorious B.I.G.

Through his journey we meet some intriguing characters. Lil’ Kim (Naturi Naughton), whom Biggie takes on as his artist and begins a love affair with, Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie), a bright star from the West Coast hip-hop scene and eventual “nemesis” of the East Coast, B.I.G.’s eventual wife, Faith Evans (Antonique Smith), and his single mother, Voletta (Angela Bassett).

Jamal Woolard, as the lead role (adult Biggie), delivers the tough task of presenting the audience with a loveable bad guy. It’s evident, although he treats his women badly and deals drugs, why everyone, including the audience, loves him. Woolard, however, doesn’t have much of a script to work with. Loaded with cliché lines and tacky solutions, the film lacks the depth and complexities of anything real. Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker deliver some of the quickest resolutions to some of the deepest problems. It seems like the toughest situations have the easiest solutions.

Nevertheless, the performance scenes are electrifying. B.I.G’s performance of “Who Shot Ya?” in California is particularly stunning. The best performance comes from another act, Naughton, who plays Lil’ Kim, and delivers one of the sluttiest, sexiest, and most dedicated female roles in recent memory. The rocky relationship between Kim and B.I.G is best explained during her performance of “Get Money,” where B.I.G. looks on at his accomplished artist and Kim looks back, furious, while performing effortlessly.

Some of the most authentic moments come during the scenes shot in the streets of New York, displaying some familiar neighborhoods and bodegas. Real footage and timely placed songs also deliver an authentic punch. Other tidbits such as Craig Mack’s millisecond appearance, Kurtis Blow’s lyrics, and Mr. Magic’s “Rap Attack” on the radio will provide a quick jolt to any hip-hop nerd.

Authenticity also hurt the film. Jesus, I mean, Puffy is already made out to be God’s gift to music and business, but did they really have to ignore Pete Rock completely when mentioning the “Juicy” sample (and act like Puffy produced every song)? The film also played down the very serious car crash that Biggie was in and even ignored the aborted pregnancy between him and Kim. While casting, for the most part, was good, Mackie didn’t look like Tupac and certainly seemed to over-exaggerate plenty of his mannerisms; in the end, he wasn’t believable or engaging. The use of narrative throughout the film hurt the flow and self-telling mentality a biopic should have.

As a hip-hop fan, or as a casual viewer, there is no doubt that things in this film are made out to be a lot fluffier than they probably were. It’s the darkness in films such as Ray and Walk the Line that make them more exciting, believable, and fulfilling as tales that reveal adversity which is overcome. Notorious has little to offer in terms of “brilliance” because it is what it is: straightforward storytelling that takes a few short cuts and stops for candy on the way to triumph.

- Sean Deezill