Notorious (2009)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: A biopic that lacks the luster of its subject, Notorious is generic rise-and-fall fare that still functions as a primer for those less familiar with the work and life of the hip hop icon.
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Cast
as The Notorious B.I.G.
as Voletta Wallace
as Sean Combs
as Faith Evans
as Tupac Shakur
as Lil' Kim
as Mark
as Jan
as Suge Knight
as Lil Cease
as Mister Cee
as Sandy
as Det. Farelli
as Wayne
as Biggie (age 8-13)
as Damion 'D-Roc' Butler
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Critic Reviews for Notorious
All Critics (142) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (69) | DVD (9)
As mainstream hip hop becomes ever more predictable, so do the biopics about its stars.
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.
The movie leaves us with the sense that, twelve years after Biggie Smalls's death, a lot of people are trying to extract whatever profit or pride they can from the chaotic life of a young man who was, as he well knew, a work in progress.
If Milk set the standard for biopics in 2008, then 2009 is off to a strong start with Notorious.
For a hardcore fan of his music and his life, it rings true.
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.
Audience Reviews for Notorious
Biopics are difficult to make and typically flawed, rushing through stages of the person's life and focusing on pointless incidents at times. Notorious falls victim to this but for the most part it was pretty good. The casting in terms of resemblance to the portrayed characters is solid, except for 2pac. The quality of the acting at times is inconsistent but mostly above average. The good's and bad's of rap biopics are fun to watch.
Super Reviewer
Along 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 of hardcore rap. I can see the appeal of it. I just have to be in the right mood to see it. This movie has some very strong performances as well.
Super Reviewer
I 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.
Super Reviewer
Notorious Quotes
| Sean "Diddy" Combs: | Can't change the world unless we change ourselves. |
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