Notorious (2009)

Ahhh, the first good movie of 2009. Notorious is a movie that is generic, but still has universal appeal to almost anyone. Though it does seem very one-sided, it does seem to explore most of the 300 pound bulk that the Notorious B.I.G. was. Moving and dramatic, Notorious is one of the better musical biopics out there.

Notorious is the story of the Biggie Smalls. To those of you who aren't familiar with the pop culture icon, the rapper, played by Jamal Woodward, became an instant sensation after signing with Sean 'Puffy' Combs. Not too long after, he became mixed up in the death of Tupac Shakur and eventually, his own life was taken by an unknown shooter in California. Even though he lived to be only 24, he inspired many people and even produced Lil' Kim.

The acting in this movie is spectacular, that is besides the one who plays Puff Daddy. Angela Bassett is quite good as Valleta, B.I.G.'s mother when he was still Chris Wallace. Also, Jamal Woodward does B.I.G. justice. I'm sure he would not be rolling over in his grave after this fine performance. Aside from him, there's also the one who plays the never shy Lil' Kim, whose performance sometimes is dry, but is quite believable in the end.

Even a good movie has some bad things. The biggest problem I had with this one was how generic it was. Every musical biopic seems to have a billion montages, and this one had a few too many. I don't need another one of him performing and signing some women's boobs. Also, the movie just seemed to stretch on and on. Though it was in a compact length of two hours, they could have cut about 20 minutes.

Overall, Notorious is a satisying dramatization of the rapper's life. Though the slogan may be extremely corny, the movie is not. Loaded with swearing and pot smoking, it manages to capture the audience with the reality of the performances. The tearjerker ending is a nice finishing touch to it. The film gives me a pretty good outlook on this year in movies.