Notorious (2009)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

George Tillman Jr.

Writers (WGA):

Reggie Rock Bythewood (written by) and
Cheo Hodari Coker (written by)

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

No dream is too big

Plot:

The life and death story of Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Plot Keywords:

Brooklyn | Death | Fame | Crack | Rap Music

Cast

Jamal Woolard	...	Christopher 'Biggie' Wallace
Mohamed Dione	...	Record Executive at Party
Derek Luke	...	Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Dennis L.A. White	...	Damion 'D-Roc' Butler
Marc John Jefferies	...	Lil Cease
Menyone DeVeaux	...	Hot Girl
Ginger Kroll	...	Debbie
Ricky Smith	...	Wally
Christopher Jordan Wallace	...	Biggie (age 8-13)
Amanda Christopher	...	Keisha
Angela Bassett	...	Voletta Wallace
Nina Daniels	...	Street Commentator
Jasper Briggs	...	Damion (age 8-13)
Cyrus Farmer	...	Selwyn
David Costabile	...	Mr. Webber

Also Known As:

Untitled Notorious B.I.G. Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content.

Runtime:

122 min | 128 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | USA:R (certificate #44759)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

Rappers Beanie Sigel and Guerilla Black auditioned for the role of Biggie. Singer Sean Kingston also auditioned and publicly claimed he had gotten the role.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: (At 1:16:48) when B.I.G. returns to Brooklyn a 2005 Mercedes E Class and 2005 Corvette are shown.

Quotes:

Notorious B.I.G.: Yo, Puff... maybe in the right hands, I could be one of the greatest.

Movie Connections:

Features The 1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards (1995) (TV)

A movie for Biggie fans

That should have been the title of the movie. Everything about this movie glorified Big..... if he was a nerdy student - he's gonna the nerdiest student.... if he was a drug dealer - he was gonna be the biggest drug dealer - complete with him sitting in a dark room with that one light that shines down on the table (classic).... if he didn't know anything about Tupac's murder - then he's gonna appear as if he was absolutely oblivious to that entire situation.... not to mention one of the supporting characters in this movie, Kim.... if Kim was gonna be a ho - she's gonna be the dirtiest ho ever.... If I didn't know any better, I would assume the only way she came up was by f'king Biggie.... This is a one-sided, shallow view of a person's life. Biggie fans want to remember his legacy flawless and that can be understood. Sure why not? This movie was made for you..... It's a story told as though a mother is speaking of her lost son who could do no wrong.....

Recommendation: Why not learn who Biggie was by beefing up the content of the supporting cast.... his first baby's momma for starters, and what about other artists that he interacted with? We could have seen a more developed, well-rounded and truthful character. Possibly even learn something about him that hasn't already been discussed in magazines or on TV....