Notorious is a biopic based on the life and times of music legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a Notorious B.I.G., who was tragically killed in his early 20s in a drive-by shooting.
by POPSUGAR Entertainment
Notorious is a biopic based on the life and times of music legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a Notorious B.I.G., who was tragically killed in his early 20s in a drive-by shooting. It comes extremely close to telling an interesting story about the measure of a man and the price of fame — close, but no cigar.
That said, there is a silver lining and that's the discovery of an artist named Jamal Woolard (also known as Gravy) who plays the title role. This relative unknown (in the acting community, he's a hip hop artist), who had zero acting experience before this production, delivers the kind of charismatic, slam-dunk performance only someone with a natural gift can deliver. His is a nuanced performance that manages to bring to earth the larger-than-life persona of Biggie with eerie accuracy. Physically, we rarely see an actor like this on the big screen and it's refreshing. Woolard uses his sympathetic eyes and giant body to convey the rapper's ability to draw people to him, despite how exasperating he could be.
Unfortunately, Woolard is the bright spot in this cookie-cutter biopic, which too often veers into sentimental and blandly conventional territory. To see the rest of my thoughts on why this is a bit disappointing, read more
