Notorious Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: January 20th, 2009

Notorious may be decent memorial disc to include in a Biggie Smalls master anthology, but as a movie and a biopic it misses the beat.  It follows the same cliche path of other music figures, while selectively editing the dramatic or controversial from the life of Christopher Wallace/The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls.  Without the major bumps of true life conflict the film feels flat and uninspired, like a rap video trumping only the fine things money can buy.

The excellent cast can’t be faulted for the film’s familiar rise and fall character arc.  Oscar-nominated Angela Bassett is a tearful single mother struggling to teach her only son how to be a good man.  Equal time is also given to new actress Naturi Naughton, who is also particularly good as Lil’ Kim, the fiery, foul-mouthed rapper whose tumultuous relationship with Biggie made her career.  Derek Luke as Sean “Puffy” Combs captures the money-hungry music producer well.  His extra screen time has the real Puffy’s fingerprints all over it, not unlike the constant chest-beating bravado and spotlight stealing portrayed in the film.

But the best and most surprising element was the main tour de force and portrait of the artist.  Newcomer Jamal Woolard nails Biggie’s vocal inflection, natural charisma, and steady rhythm.  Even with no previous acting experience, this young Brookyln rapper was spot on perfect for the role.  It’s a Biggie resurrection on screen.  Woolard’s nuanced performance that kept me interested throughout despite the story’s unforgivable posturing.

With Sean Combs and Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace producing, it’s no surprise the story is a slanted view of the rapper’s life and death.  Director (George Tillman Jr.) seems to have been hired to take detailed notes on what to show and especially what not to show.

(The rest of this review contains spoilers)

The East Coast versus West Coast feud is included, but only touches on the key moments captured in headlines and recorded lyrics.  The retelling lacks the behind-the-scenes look at how things started, why they escalated, and what the real men felt about the divided hip hop community in the 90s.  I picked up more information on the venomous battle from VH1’s “Behind the Music.”

What’s worse is the obvious slant layered in the revisionist history.  Combs and company make sure to spin blame off themselves and onto anyone else.  The media hyped everyone up.  It was all a misunderstanding with rival rapper Tupac.  They tried to take the moral high ground until they were pushed too far.  I don’t believe it and neither should you.  I was disappointed in the glaring inaccuracies, but they were expected considering the source.

Unfortunately, Biggie’s death isn’t handled much better.  A teased reenactment in the opening shows the same amount of drama as the lengthened rehash at the end.  The surprise drive-by shooting and frantic aftermath are quickly covered, strafing the most important scene to the film’s main character and the most famous fact of Biggie’s bio.  No potentially controversial theories are given on the perpetrators of the unsolved crime, nor does it really hint at the loved ones or legacy that remained.

Instead the final moments of the film are a last-minute epiphany for the 24-year-old rap artist.  Suddenly, the Notorious B.I.G. wants to grow up, be a father to his children, stop the violence, change his musical message, and make things right with all three ladies in his life.  A funeral precession paints him as a saint and a lasting inspiration to his former neighborhood.  In reality, he may have been influential, but no one familiar with his music or his life believed him to be an innocent victim of circumstance struck down just as he became a man.

The best way to honor Biggie Smalls is to listen to his songs, where he laid out his autobiographical story in the words of his albums.  Notorious may be loaded with rock-solid performances, but the story isn’t anything we haven’t heard before.

2.5 out of 5.