Biggie, Notorious Review

“Watch A Movie In the Jacuzzi, Smoke L’s While You Do Me”

It’s “Unbelievable“…Notorious is actually a damn good movie.

So, a couple weeks ago I snuck off to NYC for a weekend retreat and wound up slick-talking my way into a advance screening and junket for Notorious. It wasn’t that I just wanted to see the movie that bad, because I really didn’t. It just that I got tired of walking around Times Square spending money and looking for something to get into. So when I got a phone call saying I should try and sneak in, I figured I might as well. Even though the small ass theatre was filled to capacity, forcing me to have to sit on the ground, I’m glad I went, because the movie is pretty damn good.

Let the record state, I’m not the biggest fan of “Rappas Turnt Actas” nor am I the biggest fan of movies about rap (except for Krush Groove obviously). Add that to the fact that I’ve been over Biggie since most dudes my age decided to make 2Pac vs. Biggie arguments the second coming of Martin or Malcolm debates and you’ll know that I was probably the last person interested in seeing this film.

But much like how Biggie’s first album Ready To Die drew you in with that cinematic intro outlining his beginnings, the film’s opening scene where they reinact the fateful night of March 9, 1997 captures you immediately.

If you grew up listening to Biggie and reading every rap magazine of the times, the movie goes on to tell a story that you already know. So don’t expect any spoiler alerts to pop up in the coming weeks. But, even to someone that followed Big’s life and career extensively, the movie provides visuals and emotions that weren’t able to be emitted via music and print interviews.

I’m not gonna lie, when I saw Biggie marry Faith in real life, I was wondered how did this “heart throb never, black and ugly as ever” get her? But judging from how the movie presents him, Big appeared to be a very likable dude despite the harsh and dark themes heard in most of his music. That aspect of it sorta reminds you of how you felt when you saw W. Even those both Bush and Biggie did some pretty foul things and made some questionable decisions on their way to the top, you kinda feel sorry for them. Bush because of stupidity, Biggie because of desperation.

However, unlike W, Notorious opts to go the Ray route of biographical story telling by not sugar coating anything. They show him doing everything from selling crack to pregnant women to “shaking the shit” out of Lil Kim and Faith. They show him cutting up coke in his mother’s house and cheating on his wife. They even show that as his career skyrocketed he began to drift away from his first born.

They also did a good job in weaving in his relationship with 2Pac without turning the movie into just another Pac vs. Biggie documentary. They painted what’s probably the clearest picture I’ve seen of what happened the night Pac got shot (the first time) in the lobby of the studio that Big just happened to be recording at that night. Sad to see what happens when confusion goes unsettled.

I was also intrigued by how at some points they made the music seem to coexist with whatever conflicts were going on at the time. For instance, after Faith discovered that Biggie was being (no pun intended) unfaithful to her on the road (and beat up the groupie), the movie’s next scene had her in the studio recording her first hit single “You Used To Love Me” with her singing the words to Big as he looked on. Then after Biggie had a hand face-to-face with Lil Kim after she let it be known that she ain’t appreciate how he was constantly choosing Faith over her, it went to a scene where Kim was on stage rapping her verse on “Get Money.” That song has always been obvious though.

As far as the actual acting in the movie, a good job was done by all. Jamal Woolard Gravy did a good job as Biggie.

No lie, at times you’re going to feel as if you are really watching B.I.G. himself. He breathed heavy, waddled when he walked, the whole nine.

The beautiful Angela Bassett played Volletta Wallace and as usual she turned in a top notch performance. Only thing was that that deep Jamaican accent didn’t show up until the very end of the movie.

Antonique Smith who plays Faith Evans did a good job and damn near looked exactly like her. As a bonus, in real life she can really sing, is not as pale, has dark hair and is fine as hell. Be on the look out for her in the near future.

Derek Luke of Antione Fisher fame plays Puff Daddy and he’s hilarious even though he never means to be. Seeing his mannerisms and dances through the movie remind you of just how ridiculous Puff used to look and act back in the day. (Block, is that you back there?)

Naturi Naughton (the girl that got kicked out of 3LW) plays Lil Kim, and um, I guess the role she played was accurate. It only took two scene appearances for her to be butt ass naked doing the horizontal tango. Her ta-ta’s and crotch made numerous cameo appearances through the rest of the movie and her lines were laden with plenty of foul language. Word is that Kim herself is kinda salty about her portrayal, but come come now, it ain’t like its too far from the truth. Although I will say, they could have added just a smidget of character depth. Surely her upbringing had something to do with the way she’s turned out.

Though I was skeptical about it, Anthony Mackie did his thing as Pac. Pac was such a character that shied, only he could play him. But Anthony did a good job and the film portrayed Pac as the energetic but slightly misguided personality that he was. They didn’t try to make him super thug or super revolutionary either. Though, I will say that it was corny how they kept him in a Thug Life skull cap for 90% of the movie as if they thought you we’re going to forget who he was supposed to be playing.

But, unfortunately, not everything was on point.

The only casting issue I had with the movie was Marc John Jefferies playing Lil Cease. Not that I really care about how dude is portrayed, it just that they had Cease looking like he was 13 years old for the entire movie. I understand that he was still a young buck back then, but damn. He didn’t grow facial hair, gain any height, his voice didn’t change. It was like watching Bart Simpson.

All in all, the film is very much worth seeing. I wasn’t expecting to be touched by the film at all, but by the end when they roll B.I.G.’s gold casket through Brooklyn and “Hypnotize” erupts through the streets it makes you sit back and just say “damn, they killed Biggie.” It really seemed like dude was on his way to living a happier life.

Even though I snuck into the screening, I’m considering paying money to support it when it comes out in a couple weeks. You won’t be disappointed if you do the same.

Source: Ozone Magazine
January 1st, 2009 by Maurice Garland