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Friday
16Jan2009

Movie Review - 'Notorious'

DateFriday, January 16, 2009 at 12:21AM
Notorious

Starring Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, and Derek Luke
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Rated R

notorious_galleryposter.jpg Christopher Wallace became better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, but he had to start somewhere. That somewhere was the streets of Brooklyn, where the young Wallace saw more potential selling drugs than in school, and when his luck as a dealer ran out, he began to take his rhymes more seriously.

Released from jail at the age of 19, Wallace adopted the name Biggie Smalls, and caught the attention of a young music executive named Sean Combs. If the story only went that far, it would be compelling enough.

But Notorious and the the biography of B.I.G. has a few more chapters. Music was a major component, and you can understand his influence by running through the songs in the film. Women played probably the most significant role in his life, with his mother Voletta (Angela Bassett), and two performers with whom he would share close relationships, Li'l Kim (Naturi Naughton) and his wife, Faith Evans (Antonique Smith).

There was the music business, too, and it is rewarding to see so much time devoted to working in the studio with Combs (Derek Luke, in pitch-perfect casting) and pursuing the big time through live performances. Of course, hip hop in the 1990s was not a delicate business. The East Coast/West Coast war is well-documented here, and it's an inescapable fact for the subject; both Biggie and Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie) were murdered because of the fued over who had the better music or something similarly asinine.

The music survives, however - as it always does - and it's usually a more fitting tribute to any artist than the movie made about his or her life. Notorious goes a long way on the strength of its soundtrack, but it's also a life story that doesn't dwell on one facet of that life for too long. The screenplay is a bit tired in spots, and there's no dialogue that sounds unique or inspired, but director George Tillman Jr. always keeps it moving forward.

And it's powered by some very different performances. Another day at the office for Angela Bassett is like King Lear for the majority of actors in the world, so Notorious is already starting with a stacked deck. But Combs and Mrs. Wallace, producers on the film, have taken great care to assemble a cast that not only has great individual pieces but pieces that work well together. Both Smith and Naughton are discoveries in what could have been pedestrian roles, and Derek Luke abandons his good guy image to be the CEO of Bad Boy.

But there is a young actor here named Jamal Woolard. And he's filling big shoes, or make that B.I.G. shoes. This is a thankless role, considering the devotion of hip hop fans around the world, and in just his first screen credit, Woolard shows incredible charm, dedication, humor, skill, talent, and intelligence. It's safe to say he didn't even need to be as great as he is here for the film to hit the mark, but Woolard makes Notorious more than a tribute movie about a fallen icon.

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AuthorColin Boyd | | in , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment2 Comments |

Reader Comments (2)

looking forward to it!

Friday, January 16, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterkinseyww

I LOVED his movie! It was amazing, Jamal killed it! Played Biggie so good it gave me chills! This movie is a part of history, go see it, trust me you'll love it!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterNotoriousFL

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