Notorious

Name: Notorious
Released: 2009-1-16
Cast: Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie

Notorious

R
2h 3m
2009

52%

age 17+

PRICING SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Confirm current pricing with applicable retailer. All transactions subject to applicable license terms and conditions.

The remarkable life and death story of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace - who rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time.

Director:

George Tillman Jr.

Producer:

Voletta Wallace, Wayne Barrow, Mark Pitts, Robert Teitel, Trish Hofmann

Writer:

Reggie Rock Bythewood, Cheo Hodari Coker

Cast:

Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

TOMATOMETER®

52%

Critics 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.

Reviews

TheIndependentCritic.com

Richard Propes

Woolard also performs much of the film's music.

September 18, 2020

FULL REVIEW

Herald Sun (Australia)

Leigh Paatsch

This so-bad-it's-actually-almost-brilliant biopic has an endearingly dodgy way of softening up hard facts.

There's not many surprises here for fans of the big man or those new to his work but the music is great and a major plus point is that Sean 'Puffy' Combs (Derek Luke) is the film's producer.

Newcomer Jamal Woolard is a natural as the mammoth rapper, easily adopting Biggie's cheeky swagger and rasping speech... [But] the story suffers as it tries to capture every last moment of the rapper's life.

This film knows the lyrics, but not the music.

August 16, 2017

FULL REVIEW

Common Sense Media

age 17+

Common Sense Says

Gritty, affecting rapper biopic is too intense for kids.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie about a real life rapper whose life was full of drugs, sex, and ultimately lethal violence. Because the movie is well made and exciting, kids might feel it glamorizes his way of life. The gritty-but-moving biopic takes an unflinching look at the life and death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. Raised on the hard-scrabble streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the groundbreaking musician carried guns, dealt drugs, went to prison, fell in love, cheated on his wife (and his girlfriend) ... and was gunned down at the age of 24. All of these events and more unfold onscreen -- accompanied by strong profanity, drinking, nudity, violence, and drug use -- making for a movie that's not only too intense for early teens and younger but one that demands discussion with older teens.