“Notorious,” the new biopic on the late Notorious B.I.G. is one of the most frustrating movie experiences I’ve ever had. Maybe I was expecting too much from this film; it is about a rapper, after all, a very good one, but the genre of music is in itself frustrating at times.
The performance of newcomer Jamal Woolard (as Biggie) is incredible; he captures every Biggie nuance: the vocal intonations in his raps, his mannerisms and charming demeanor. He literally embodies the slain rapper in a virtuoso performance; it is easily the best thing about “Notorious.”
Where the film really suffers, however, is in the way it captures the many women in Biggie’s life. Lil’ Kim is purportedly pissed with how she is portrayed and she has every right to be. Her character is basically depicted as one of a whore and home wrecker. This was surprising to me, knowing that Sean “Puffy” Combs is the executive producer of this film and Lil’ Kim is a recording artist on his label, Bad Boy Records. After seeing how she is portrayed in “Notorious,” I can only imagine her wanting to switch labels ASAP.
Then again, if Biggie were still around, I can imagine him being a little bothered by the philandering nature of his character. He marries Faith Evans after two weeks, vows fidelity (yeah, right?), and then curses out Kim in the recording studio for being upset.
This was a man who had a sexual relationship with Kim until he suddenly met Faith and she flipped his world around. It’s only natural for Kim to be a little bothered by this (after all, he did launch her career just as Puffy did his) and Biggie comes off looking bad as a result.
One scene that encapsulates the love triangle perfectly comes near the end of the movie. He’s on the phone with Kim, curses her out by calling her a bitch, then looks to his baby daughter, telling her to promise daddy that she’ll never let any man call her a bitch, ever. Touching.
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