Notorious

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

Notorious

R
2h 3m
2009

51%

age 17+

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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:

Writer:

Cast:

Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

TOMATOMETER®

51%

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

Time Out

Tom Huddlestone

As mainstream hip hop becomes ever more predictable, so do the biopics about its stars.

June 21, 2017

New York Magazine/Vulture

David Edelstein

Even if we miss the thinking that went into the creation of Wallace's B.I.G.-ger-than-life alter e...

The movie leaves us with the sense that, twelve years after Biggie Smalls's death, a lot of people...

August 16, 2017

FULL REVIEW

At the Movies

Ben Mankiewicz

If Milk set the standard for biopics in 2008, then 2009 is off to a strong start with Notorious.

June 21, 2017

At the Movies

Ben Lyons

For a hardcore fan of his music and his life, it rings true.

June 21, 2017

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.