| Overall Grade: |
C |
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| Story: |
C |
|
|
| Acting: |
C+ |
|
|
| Direction: |
C- |
|
|
| Visuals: |
C- |
|
|
Not Hypnotized
by __A_YAHOO_USER__ (movies profile)
Jan 16, 2009
26
of
45 people found this review helpful
For people looking for insight into the life of Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., look elsewhere. Seriously, you'd probably get more out of his Wikipedia page than from this film, and maybe this isn't who the film caters to but it greatly limits its marketability by being a film only hardcore Biggie fans (and boy do I mean hardcore) could only even remotely enjoy.
Where do I begin? Let's start with the casting. Derek Luke as Puffy? I think they would've been better off casting an unknown, much like they did with Jamal Woodard who was good but still nothing special. Angela Bassett as Biggie's mom was a good choice; however, I was disappointed she didn't commit to the character and tackle her Jamaican accent. She's definitely a talented enough actress to pull it off, but she was so underused in this movie, which she's clearly their box office draw.
I kind of dug Naturi Naughton's portrayal of Lil Kim although I'm a little surprised she went nude for this role (more so because of her past as 1/3 of the girl group 3LW). Then again, it is Lil Kim. I suppose nudity is required.
The unfortunate part of this movie, as I said earlier, is that characters, including the one whom the movie is about, were hardly developed. The writer and director relied to heavily on the public's knowledge of these individuals' personas, which is not as nearly as interesting as discovering their more human sides, and while I agree the whole East Coast/West Coast drama was both childish and unfortunate, it felt a little one-sided, placing more blame on Pac almost to the point of making Shakur seem misguided and stupid, which may or may not be the case considering Suge Knight's influence. But it was unfortunate to see that in remembering one great fallen rapper, they kind of chose to tear down another.
From a cinematography standpoint, there aren't any noteworthy shots like other bio films such as Ray or Walk the Line. Sub-plots go unresolved and almost dealt with as if the writers forgot they introduced them. Dialogue is also poor.
The film begins with its end, which often works if we, the audience, don't know the events that led up to that moment, but seeing how they've already counted on us knowing this public figure so well, it's not as effective of an opener. In fact, it just adds another five or so pointless minutes. It would've been more neat to see some real footage of the rapper cut with the film throughout it.
Transitions, themselves, are abrupt. One of the most laughable scenes comes when he's arrested, and they cut from a clean shaven B.I.G. to a scruffier one. How much time passed? Your guess is as good as mine. I can have about the same amount of facial hair in two weeks. Then again, I've never been arrested for possession of illegal drugs with the intent to sell. I'm guessing two weeks would not be an appropriate sentence.
To make a long review short, this movie looks and feels like a student film, which it's not Mr. Tillman's first time up at bat. He's just the kid who forgot his cleats and gloves, which is not to say he isn't talented or suggest anybody involved wasn't either. Simply put, it was just a miss and did very little to honor the legacy of a man proclaimed to be bigger than life itself. It's a good thing we still have his music. |
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