Notorious (2009)

The life and death story of Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Director:

George Tillman Jr.

Writers:

Reggie Rock Bythewood, Cheo Hodari Coker

Stars:

Jamal Woolard, Mohamed Dione, Derek Luke

9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamal Woolard	...	Christopher 'Biggie' Wallace
Mohamed Dione	...	Record Executive at Party
Derek Luke	...	Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Dennis L.A. White	...	Damion
Marc John Jefferies	...	Cease
Menyone DeVeaux	...	Hot Girl #1
Christopher Jordan Wallace	...	Biggie (Age 8-13)
Ricky Smith	...	Wally
Amanda Christopher	...	Keisha
Angela Bassett	...	Voletta Wallace
Jasper Briggs	...	Damion (Age 8-13)
Cyrus Farmer	...	Selwyn
David Costabile	...	Mr. Webber
Julia Pace Mitchell	...	Jan
Jermaine Denny	...	Primo

Storyline

NOTORIOUS is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time; THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."

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Plot Keywords:

rap music | death | fame | one word title | crack cocaine | 

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Taglines:

No dream is too big

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Notorious B.I.G. Project

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,119,587 (UK) (13 February 2009)

Gross:

$36,842,118 (USA) (27 March 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Voletta Wallace Films, Bystorm Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 128 min (unrated director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rappers Beanie Sigel and Guerilla Black auditioned for the role of Biggie. Singer Sean Kingston also auditioned and publicly claimed he had gotten the role.

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Goofs

A 7th generation Honda Accord is shown in the movie, but 7th generation Honda Accords weren't in production until 2003.

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Quotes

Notorious B.I.G.: What's up, Big Mama?
Lil Kim: What did you just call me?
Notorious B.I.G.: Big Mama. You looking damn good. How was work today?
Lil Kim: Everyday you ask me how I'm doing. What's that about?
Notorious B.I.G.: [Smiling] It's cause I care. You know what I'm saying?
Lil Kim: Yeah, right. Whatever you say, Big Poppa.
Notorious B.I.G.: [laughing] You know, you got a smart-ass mouth!
Lil Kim: What, you gonna do something about it?
[pauses, and stares B.I.G down]
Lil Kim: Nah, I didn't think so.
[...]

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Connections

Features Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Banging in the Basement"
Music by Kendale Richardson

User Reviews

A movie for Biggie fans

That should have been the title of the movie. Everything about this movie glorified Big..... if he was a nerdy student - he's gonna the nerdiest student.... if he was a drug dealer - he was gonna be the biggest drug dealer - complete with him sitting in a dark room with that one light that shines down on the table (classic).... if he didn't know anything about Tupac's murder - then he's gonna appear as if he was absolutely oblivious to that entire situation.... not to mention one of the supporting characters in this movie, Kim.... if Kim was gonna be a ho - she's gonna be the dirtiest ho ever.... If I didn't know any better, I would assume the only way she came up was by f'king Biggie.... This is a one-sided, shallow view of a person's life. Biggie fans want to remember his legacy flawless and that can be understood. Sure why not? This movie was made for you..... It's a story told as though a mother is speaking of her lost son who could do no wrong.....

Recommendation: Why not learn who Biggie was by beefing up the content of the supporting cast.... his first baby's momma for starters, and what about other artists that he interacted with? We could have seen a more developed, well-rounded and truthful character. Possibly even learn something about him that hasn't already been discussed in magazines or on TV....