Notorious

Rating R Formats DVD Genre drama Starring Angela Bassett, John Ventimiglia, Charles Malik Whitfield, Marc John Jefferies, Aunjanue Ellis Directed by George Tillman Publisher Fox Home Entertainment External Links

Notorious, the long awaited biopic of the late rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace is good. That is, if the bar was set at “made for VH1’s Movies That Rock”.

The film, detailing the legendary rapper’s life from the year 1983 up until he was gunned down on March 9, 1997, is a wildly unbalanced, cheap-looking examination of an extraordinary life.

The movie opens with Wallace as a child, played by Christopher, “C.J.” Wallace Jr., the late rapper’s 12-year-old son. It’s secretly the movie’s most poignant and personal moment, a son playing the father he never knew. But the comparisons really end there.

Adult Biggie is portrayed by 33-year-old rapper Jamal “Gravy” Woolard. In preparation for the role, he reportedly gained fifty pounds. Unfortunately, Woolard does not really resemble the character he’s portraying, and his attempts at Wallace’s speaking style sounds more like an impression than the real thing. This is compounded by the age difference between the actor and the role he plays. Hollywood has never had a problem casting adults as high schoolers. This is evident in Woolard’s scene in a high school math class. It’s as laughable as Michael J. Fox playing teenage Marty McFly in the Back to the Future series when he was approaching 30.

The lack of resemblance for the players in Wallace’s life is also distracting. Derek Luke captures Sean “Puffy” Combs’s ambitiousness, but none of the mogul’s swagger. It isn’t until one of the film’s bit players refers to the character by name then will anyone have an idea of who it is. Same goes for Naturi Naughton’s depiction of rapper Lil’ Kim. Naughton is way too sympathetic and sweet of a character in the film - which is in complete contrast to the real life performer’s tough-as-nails persona. Angela Bassett’s performance as Voletta Wallace, B.I.G.’s mother is believable and somewhat convincing, but the actress’s tendency to weave in and out of Voletta’s Jamaican accent is a bit confusing.

Notorious B.I.G.’s story deserves the Ray treatment. That means a high profile cast, competent director, and a budget to fit the size of the main character. Wallace’s life story was compelling enough - how he managed to fit so much into his twenty-four years is astounding. None of the actors seem to commit to their performances. With a life rich with characters such as Wallace’s, it’s a shame. What the film needed was actors that were willing to become their roles, much like Jamie Foxx did when he transformed into Ray Charles. Much of the cast seems intimidated by playing people who are very much alive.

Notorious isn’t awful. It’s a surprisingly watchable movie that just happens to be deficient in several areas. The story relies too much on dialogue to tell what’s happening, and without the titles explaining what year it is, it’s nearly impossible to tell that time has passed. Overall, it’s really a missed opportunity that deserves another crack at somewhere down the road.

Hopefully, they’ll get it right next time.