You don't have to be a hip-hop fan to enjoy this cinematic sendoff to the late Brooklyn-born rapper Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G. Practically a dead ringer for Biggie, newcomer Jamal Woolard does a terrific job of imitating the singer, a hefty, troubled youth who became a star in spite of—or perhaps because of—his history as a drug dealer and chronic abuser of women. Like so many of his contemporaries, Biggie was strictly a denizen of the streets until he got a taste of big money, after which he reinvented himself, and—inspired by one of the rap world's favorite movies (Brian DePalma's Scarface)—started dressing in loud pinstripe suits. Although Smalls is painted fairly uncompromisingly by director George Tillman Jr., Woolard imbues him with a soulful quality that captures the insecurity behind the larger-than-life singer who, for all his supposed toughness, never wholly stops being a little boy in the eyes of his Jamaican mom (Angela Bassett). Tillman's influence—unlike Biggie's—isn't Scarface, but rather Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas, especially after Smalls and his homies become embroiled in a war with West Coast rappers including Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie). Eventually, just like with GoodFellas' true-life mobster Henry Hill, Biggie's world starts closing in on him and turning darker. Although it suffers from some of the narrative clichés that are the bane of biopics, Notorious, backed by Smalls' music, is an often engaging film. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras on the three-disc “collector's edition” include both the theatrical and “unrated” versions of the film, two audio commentaries (the first by director George Tillman Jr., co-screenwriters Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker, and editor Dirk Westervelt; the second with Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace and Biggie's co-managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts), a 28-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, 12 minutes of deleted scenes, production featurettes on “I Got a Story to Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls” (10 min.), “Notorious Thugs: Casting the Film” (9 min.), and “Biggie Boot Camp” (7 min.), an “Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance” featurette (6 min.), a “Party & Bulls**t” live performance by Biggie (4 min.), “The B.I.G. Three-Sixty” interactive feature with a 360-degree view of the street where the murder happened along with clips about shooting the relevant film scene and different takes on the event, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the 27-minute “making-of” featurette “Life After Death,” and the BD-Live function (which includes “The Music” feature of creating customizable playlists). Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven but sure to be popular biopic.] (E. Hulse)
Notorious
Fox, 122 min., R, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Apr. 21 Volume 24, Issue 3
Notorious
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