NotoriousMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 60 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    A good film in many ways, but its best achievement is the casting of Jamal Woolard, a rapper named Gravy, in the title role. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Notorious makes the death of Biggie Smalls look like a tragic mistake, instead of the outgrowth of a culture devoted to selling the fantasy of who's the biggest man. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    For a man apparently making his first film, Woolard carries the movie like a pro. Cross your fingers that this is no fluke, for this guy could be a real comer. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety |

    A rock-solid biopic with a foolproof rise-and-fall storyline and a warmly nuanced performance by Jamal Woolard. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    Through it all are the rhymes and the music, hugely enjoyable in their own right, and the long, large shadow of Biggie. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    It's the spirit that Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace, put into inventing himself and his music that ignites Notorious, a biopic that sees the flaws in the man but can't help accentuating the positive. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Notorious is like a piece of well-crafted bling. It looks good, and facets of it shine, but behind the gilded facade there's not much there. And what is there can be troubling and retrogressive. Read full review

  • 60
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Notorious settles into a curious comfort zone; it's half pop fable, half naturalistic docudrama. Not a bad movie, but nowhere near as strong as its soundtrack. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    A fawning bio-pic. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post |

    Cloyingly, Biggie narrates his tale from the grave. It's a device that feels irksome and condescending. Read full review

View more reviews for Notorious on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Gritty, affecting rapper biopic is too intense for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie about a real life rapper whose life was full of drugs, sex, and ultimately lethal violence. Because the movie is well made and exciting, kids might feel it glamorizes his way of life. The gritty-but-moving biopic takes an unflinching look at the life and death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. Raised on the hard-scrabble streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the groundbreaking musician carried guns, dealt drugs, went to prison, fell in love, cheated on his wife (and his girlfriend) ... and was gunned down at the age of 24. All of these events and more unfold onscreen -- accompanied by strong profanity, drinking, nudity, violence, and drug use -- making for a movie that's not only too intense for early teens and younger but one that demands discussion with older teens.
  • Families can talk about what appeals to teens about Biggie. Do they feel the film glamorizes him?
  • Do your teens think the movie is an accurate portrayal? Sympathetic? Critical?
  • How do your teens feel about Biggie's lyrics? And what messages do they take away from both his music and his life? Can they tell what the biases of the film makers are?
  • The film portrays Notorious B.I.G. and the world of hip-hop/rap. How does that industry, in turn, influence people who listen to the music it produces? Why do you think they've been so popular with both listeners and critics?
  • How accurate do you think the movie is? Why might filmmakers add or alter the truth in movies based on true stories?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages:  Men cheat on their significant others and sometimes disrespect them. Characters speak of and engage in physically abusive behavior, and there's also drug use, drinking, and family abandonment. But there's redemption, too, and a few friends seem refreshingly loyal against a backdrop of betrayal and deceit. The film also includes the still-unsolved murders of Biggie and Tupac.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: A son defies his mother by lying to her -- apparently he's been dealing drugs; she puts him out on the streets, and he later lands in prison. But his talent and commitment to his music see him through, despite complicated entanglements.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: A man roughs up the women he loves during arguments; rivals beat each other up or worse. Guns are shown, shots are fired, and two men wind up dead.
  • sex false4 Sex: Some nudity during sex scenes -- including a woman sitting naked astride a man naked, her breasts fully bared. The same woman performs scantily clad onscreen and grabs her crotch. Some graphic discussion of sex acts.
  • language false4 Language: Frequent, colorful swearing -- from "bitch" to "s--t" and "f--k."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: A fair amount of name dropping and label flashing (sneakers and clothing, for example), and lots of bling.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false4 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Dealers -- some of whom are children -- are shown mixing and trafficking drugs (mostly crack); some characters (including a pregnant woman) are depicted buying/using it. Some smoking and plenty of drinking (champagne and everything else).
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

The notoriously cuddly B.I.G. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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