I'm still trying to process it, but after just seeing the first screening of the film Notorius last night, all I can say is "WOW!!!!!"Here in Miami at the 3rd Annual I Rock The Mic conference, I met Jamal Woolard aka “Gravy” aka the actor who's performance as the larger than life Christopher "Biggie" Wallace will have everyone talking.
Sure Angela Bassett was outstanding as always as Voletta Wallace (although I was expecting to hear more of the mom's accent) and Anthony Mackie as Tupac was well-played. But the stars of a film that will no doubt be a huge success are Derek Luke as the Bojangles music president of Bad Boy Records Sean Puffy Combs, and Antonique Smith, the veteran stage actress who channels Faith Evans in a way that could only be described as brilliant.
Producer credits include B.I.G.’s mother, his former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts. Even the sister who worked at Fox Searchlight for five years before pitching the project lived just blocks away from the legendary recording artist who was seemingly coming to terms with who he was as a man when his life took a tragic turn. It's not only the story about how one talented as hell chubby black kid from Brooklyn rose to the top of the rap game, it's also a true ode to hip hop.
Following Biggie’s life from his school days as a smart kid from Brooklyn who just wanted to fit in and be loved by his pops, to his drug hustle, his prolific talent, and his untimely demise, the power of the genre explodes in a way very few films capture. Raw sexuality, cruel misogyny, reckless excess, Red Bull intensity and artistic brilliance, the violence and love coupled with the pain, denigration and celebration of African American urban life is a much needed detour from the cycle of Tyler Perry themed films of late.
What was particularly insightful was the huge East Coast - West Coast rivalry that was laid out in the film and how Sean Comb was the only one left standing. Tupac, Suge Knight and Wallace each played a role, along with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg ( who is never really mentioned for unexplained reasons) in the insane circumstances leading to former friends Shakur and Biggie becoming enemies after a shooting at a recording studio that many viewed as a set-up. Several questions remain, although much of the drama is dealt with and explained in painstaking detail.
According to Barrow, “People wanted to give us a check and do a film that they wanted to do, but Searchlight gave us the opportunity to really be able to come in and tell the story the way it was supposed to be told”. I can tell you first hand, they came correct. And as for actress Naturi Naughton, in her coruscating film debut as the complicated Lil Kim, expect new things from this rising star. She really put it all out there... in more ways then one. I'm talking Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, if they keep the film as presently edited.
As a fan tells Biggie after he signs a copy of his cd in the movie, “Thanks for making the big brothers in style”
With Notorius, it’s not just big brothers who ultimately come out on top. it’s a whole generation who will see firsthand how important and powerful music is, at a time when the industry is suffering.
Check out Notorius when it opens on January 16. It will move you.