Notorious

The story of Christopher Wallace, dealing drugs in Brooklyn, becoming Notorious B.I.G. Meeting Sean Combs, the rise of Bad Boy, friendship and then enmity with Tupac Shakur, and the murder in 1997. The film is interested less in the rap persona than in the man. George Tillman Jr directed. Jamal Woolard plays Biggie, Angela Bassett plays his mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke plays Sean Combs and Anthony Mackie plays Tupac Shakur. The family had direct oversight: Voletta Wallace produced alongside Biggie's former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts. On a 20 million dollar budget it took 44.4 million worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 52 percent, with critics singling out Woolard's performance. Roger Ebert gave three and a half stars out of four and applauded the film for focusing on Christopher Wallace rather than his rapping persona. One objection came from inside the story. Lil' Kim complained openly about her portrayal, citing the many lies in the movie and the false portrayal of herself, and objecting in particular to Naturi Naughton's depiction and the excessive sexuality of those scenes. Who it is for: viewers who like nineties hip hop history and musician biographies. Who it is not for: anyone expecting impartiality. It was made with the family's approval and gives almost no room to anyone critical of Biggie.