Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke
It's been almost twelve years since Christopher Wallace was gunned down in Los Angeles. Since then, he has become a cultural icon and huge influence on popular music. His former producer, Sean "Puff D...( read more
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DVD Release Date: April 21, 2009
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Stats: 6,363 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (6,363)
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August 11, 2009Along the lines of 8 mile. this movie tells a story while it connects you with the main character. Even tho you know whats going to happen to him in the begining I still was interested in his like and what would happen to him...The music what very good, altho im not reall a fan o...( read more)
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April 29, 2009I don't care too much for rap, but a good biop is always fun. B.I.G. seemed like a pretty big douche, but it made for an interesting story.
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April 28, 2009This movie was very well made. It showed him from all sides instead of just trying to make him out to be all bad or all good. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
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April 27, 2009I really liked it! I remember being 12 or 13 at the time of the deaths of Biggie and Tupac, I just didn't really know what went down, but watching this clarifies a few things for me. It was interesting watching him grow up and doing what he did to get to where he got to; also the...( read more)
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April 26, 2009Wow..this was insanely well done. I had no clue that BIG's Mom had her hand in this and Puffy too. To see this young man rise from nothing to Stardom, amazing. To see him become the man his Mom hoped he would be...! It still baffels me to see how far people are willing to take th...( read more)
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November 23, 2009A rather mediocre biopic which could have been much more violent and real.
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November 16, 2009'Notoriuosly Niave", but still entertians you and stays fly with a solid storyline and great acting to go with it.
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October 12, 2009This is an excellent movie.The story and performances are very well done.While I never really got into "Biggie Smalls" the music that I did hear of his was great.I highly recommend this movie to all of his fans.
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October 4, 2009'Notorious' may not be an Oscar winning movie, but it certainly has a message that we can all relate to while learning about the story of Biggie Smalls, and some of the history of hip hop.
The pace of the film is steady and focuses on what we need to know. And it doesn...( read more) -
September 14, 2009it's d lifestory of notorious B.I.G..
started when he was a boy, n becoming a man n got killed on d street
showing how's life was up n down
life is tough though...
yet there's no dream that is too BIG
Critic Reviews
January 20, 2009
Mike McGranaghan, The Aisle Seat
January 20, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine
Even if we miss the thinking that went into the creation of Wallace's B.I.G.-ger-than-life alter ego, the movie's performances are exultant. full review
January 16, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Notorious is like a piece of well-crafted bling. It looks good, and facets of it shine, but behind the gilded facade there's not much there. full review
January 16, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Notorious is surprisingly and pleasantly unflashy, a straightforward picture that makes a distinction between classiness and bling. full review
January 16, 2009
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com
No fire in this tale about one of rap music's most notorious shooting stars. full review
January 16, 2009
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
This engrossing biopic, throbbing with style and attitude, will likely add to his legend. full review
January 16, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
An enjoyably ridiculous entertainment about a pursy young man with mysterious sex appeal who turns the rap world on its ear. full review
January 16, 2009
Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun
[Director Tillman has] imbued Biggie's story with emotions that bring home the full arc of a tumultuous, complicated life. That's why you don't have to love hip-hop to be glad you've seen Notorious. full review
January 16, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times
Anyone looking for a dispassionate, evenhanded account of the life of Biggie Smalls will be disappointed, perhaps even dismayed, by Notorious. full review
January 16, 2009
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The film's unhurried, uncompressed feel yields many juicy moments worth savoring. full review
Comments
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April 20, 2009yo remember pac and let thes big ass punk go to hell with all his clan . west side connection
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April 16, 2009This movie named "Notorious" is the boom baby!!!! It was hot:L:L:L:L:L:L..........Dis movie ws so full of SpIrIt!!! you cn feel the LOVE frm da movie!!!! DOP DOP le aka lea o le NOTORIOUS!!!! Se fika poo se lu'i!!!!! FA LAIA BYE BYE!!!!!
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January 30, 2009The film begins in March 1997 in Los Angeles with a party playing the song "Hypnotize". Biggie is seen sitting at his chair smoking a cigar, as dancers, including Faith Evans and Sean Combs, move to the music on the dance floor. Moments later, Biggie, Combs, and friends are driving. They stop at a red light, while Lil' Cease is flirting with the girls outside. A black Chevrolet Impala pulls up, suddenly, and someone inside fires a single shot at Biggie. The shot freezes with a look at Biggie.
The film then flashes back through many scenes all the way to the 1980s showing Biggie as a kid. Biggie writes several songs as he's made fun of by some school girls. Soon Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, comes back to face with Biggie's father, who left when he was a child. There's a fight that Biggie witnesses and continues to listen to his music. Biggie soon starts "hustling" and being involved with drugs.
Then in 1990, when Biggie is seventeen, he and his friend D-Roc (Dennis L.A. White) start to hustle with Lil' Cease. Biggie wins a rap competition on the streets and meets Lil' Kim. After leaving the battle Voletta becomes aware of Biggie's drug dealing and kicks him out onto the street, where he finds his own place and starts getting money.
Biggie soon finds himself in prison for 2 years. He is then released from prison and he goes to see Jan, his girlfriend and their new daughter. Biggie's mom has forgiven him for what he has done. After making up with his mother he goes to find D-Roc and Lil' Cease and other friends and records a demo called "Microphone Murder."
Biggie soon meets Combs, an ambitious producer for Uptown Records. Combs promises Biggie that he'll become a millionaire by the time he's 21 and that a record deal is right around the corner for him. Although, Combs will only accept Biggie if he gives up the drug dealing game. Biggie agrees with Combs, and then leaves. After he leaves he begins a relationship with Lil' Kim after he meets her walking home from work.
A few days later Biggie meets up with D-Roc and is caught with drugs by a nearby cop. Two police cars chase after Biggie and D-Roc. As they run Biggie throws his pistol into a nearby bush. Eventually they both get caught and are interviewed by a cop, who says that one of them must go away for carrying an illegal firearm. D-Roc takes the fall saying that Biggie has a chance in the rap game and if someone like him can make it then they can all make it.
Combs soon reveals to Biggie that he got fired from Uptown, but tells Biggie that some time soon he'll get a record deal. Biggie, frustrated and upset, leaves Combs and goes back home only to discover that his mother has breast cancer. Biggie goes into a state of sadness and depression, but this turns around when Combs begins his own record label, Bad Boy Records and Biggie gets his first gift inside of a Big Mac box, which had the words 'B.I.G. Mack' on them, symbolizing The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack. Biggie's sadness starts to turn around.
Biggie starts recording songs for his first album, Ready To Die. Biggie records for his first album and enjoys time with Combs, Lil' Cease and other friends. He gets down his supposed first single, but Combs refuses saying there's another track that Biggie can record. The track is called "Juicy". Biggie's friends laugh at it, but Biggie eventually records the first single and everyone enjoys it.
At a photoshoot Biggie meets Faith. They begin a relationship, even though Faith has an infant named Chyna. Then they get married several days later. Meanwhile, Biggie continues to ignore his relationship with Jan and their child together.
Biggie begins a friendship with Tupac Shakur, who is already a major rapper and film star. Biggie celebrates for his album Ready To Die with Tupac and actually looks up to him. Ready To Die is amazing with fans. As this goes on Jan visits Faith and tells her that Biggie needs to see his daughter once in a while. Faith calls Biggie and gets slightly suspicious of what he is doing. Driven by this Faith goes to check on Biggie and sees him with another woman. Faith gets into a physical fight with the girl and leaves in tears and disgust.
Biggie goes to the studio to find Combs and Faith recording. Faith forgives Biggie and they make up. As this continues, tensions between Biggie, Faith and Lil' Kim continue to grow, while recording songs.
Things change suddenly when Tupac is shot in Quad Studios and blames it on Combs, Biggie and Bad Boy Records. At The Source Awards in 1995, Death Row Records' Suge Knight makes a speech dissing Combs and Bad Boy Records, claiming Death Row is the place to be. Soon the disagreement has escalated into an East Coast-West Coast beef and attacks are made on both sides. The friendship between Biggie and Tupac is crushed. Tupac meets up with Biggie and verbally fights him, but decides to leave when Biggie's security pulls out a pistol. This whole thing is bringing down -
January 23, 2009Notorious is the story of Notorious B.I.G. how he grew up in brooklyn goin thru obstacles such hustlin on the corner to providing for child goin to jail in becomin a icon.
BombAzz Movie if you like hip-hop, rap, gangster rap. or just want to kno the story of Biggie. Go see this movie it was put together well the actin was good Derek luke does a fantastic job as Puffy. the only thing i dont agree with is how they put lil kim outthere like that. But Overall Bomb. A must see, a must have -
January 22, 2009
Glitter You Rock Graphics
" I'm wishing would like to been thier at the theatre to wach it . & I'm 'll do it . Coz i'm would to know about funny & exciting with 'em actions on the film " -
January 18, 2009damnn this movie was really good
a must see,i didnt really know much about biggie smalls but now i respect him and tupac:p
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