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NOTORIOUSMovie Reviews
Biography about the tragic life story of rap star Notorious B.I.G. Cast:Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Anthony MackieDirector:George Tillman, JrRelease Date:January 16, 2009DVD Release:April 21, 2009From:Fox SearchlightRating:RLength:2 hr 2 min
Notorious played to very good reviews. • Allison Samuels wrote in Newsweek, "...a bittersweet journey to the days when the Cristal was overflowing, the bling was blinding and the performers burned brightly — but briefly." • And Kevin Johnson wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Its success rests on the shoulders of Jamal Woolard as the iconic B.I.G.... he pulls off the portrayal naturally." More Reviews Below...
Allison Samuels, Newsweek: OUTSTANDING "...a bittersweet journey to the days when the Cristal was overflowing, the bling was blinding and the performers burned brightly -- but briefly."(See all of Allison Samuels's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 01/05/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a luridly unapologetic trip through the violence, hunger, verbal bravado, and money fever of the hip-hop world, which it views as both liberating and destructive."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 01/16/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "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."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 01/16/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a messy, lively melodrama, reasonably faithful to the facts of Biggie's life and wholeheartedly devoted to burnishing his myth."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,062 words, 01/16/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...despite the lack of objectivity - a feeling enhanced by the occasionally overawed script - Tillman weaves his familiar strands into a fascinating tale."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 01/16/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a good film in many ways... shows how talent can lift a kid up off the street corner, but can't protect him in a culture of violence."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 01/15/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...both helped and hurt by its visual narrative -- transitions in Biggie's life are captured in a shutter-speed collage of images..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,042 words, 01/16/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...gives a heartfelt yet clear-eyed sendoff to the late Brooklyn rapper Christopher Wallace... discovers in Biggie a soul to match his 300-pound body."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 01/16/09
Glenn Gamboa, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the real-life story of rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is far more compelling than this movie, and the slain star's fans all know it."(See all of Glenn Gamboa's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 01/16/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "I'm not suggesting his story is sanitized, but it's definitely been reduced to formulaic cliché - even the warts get painted in by the numbers."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 01/16/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...less biopic than an engaging, heartbreaking, small-scale drama about a lost little boy who wants to make his mom proud but keeps breaking her heart."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 01/14/09
Chris Richards, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...feels like Biggie's Wikipedia page reformatted for the big screen... a frustrating dash from the playground to the grave, all in under two hours."(See all of Chris Richards's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 01/16/09
Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a vivid biopic... doesn't require you be a big fan of the genre. George Tillman Jr.'s unintrusive direction allows the story to find its natural groove..."(See all of Joey Guerra's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 01/16/09
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "If there's a guide book on how to create a standard rags-to-riches music biopic, the makers of 'Notorious' must have memorized every page."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 370 words, 01/16/09
Justin Berton, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...while the filmmakers are busy making a vanity project, they forget to show why Wallace was such a unique talent and in what cultural context his raps flourished."(See all of Justin Berton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 01/16/09
Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an engaging enough story, crisply told... [but] it falls short as either an in-depth character study or the genuine tragedy it could have been..."(See all of Dan DeLuca's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 01/16/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an enjoyably ridiculous entertainment about a pursy young man with mysterious sex appeal who turns the rap world on its ear."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,023 words, 01/16/09
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Jamal Woolard and the always fascinating Anthony Mackie lead a fine cast in this somewhat compelling biography..."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 01/16/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...a poorly made film on the most basic levels... There's no sense of reality, no feel of the streets, none of the raw zest and spark that spilled out of Biggie's music."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 01/16/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...constantly entertaining, a lurid biography with an infectious beat. It actually helps the film that some moviegoers may be unfamiliar with Wallace's music and career..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 01/15/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...excels at showcasing Wallace's music and his magnetism as a performer: It fares less well at giving that music a proper context."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 01/16/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a loving but warts-and-mostly-all tribute to Wallace... paints an engaging portrait of Wallace's short life while also sketching the man he might have become."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 01/16/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: MODERATE(cg) "...comes with its share of jailhouse epiphanies and outlaw montages. Biggie, Puffy, and friend-turned-foe rapper Tupac trade a few too many streetwise affirmations."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 451 words, 01/16/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...less biopic than an engaging, heartbreaking, small-scale drama about a lost little boy who wants to make his mom proud but keeps breaking her heart."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 01/14/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "What keeps you riveted to Biggie's official story is the actor who plays him. A new star is born in Jamal Woolard, who defines what it means to hypnotize."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 01/23/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a messy, lively melodrama, reasonably faithful to the facts of Biggie's life and wholeheartedly devoted to burnishing his myth."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,062 words, 01/16/09
David Denby, New Yorker: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Biggie seems trapped not so much in a fated existence as in a poorly organized biopic. Maybe a life this tumultuous can't be jammed into a two-hour movie."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 972 words, 01/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...both helped and hurt by its visual narrative -- transitions in Biggie's life are captured in a shutter-speed collage of images..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,042 words, 01/16/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
John Anderson, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "Skim off all the visual bling, and 'Notorious' is a rock-solid biopic with a foolproof rise-and-fall storyline and a warmly nuanced performance..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 826 words, 01/12/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...both helped and hurt by its visual narrative -- transitions in Biggie's life are captured in a shutter-speed collage of images..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,042 words, 01/16/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a messy, lively melodrama, reasonably faithful to the facts of Biggie's life and wholeheartedly devoted to burnishing his myth."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,062 words, 01/16/09
16.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Notorious's reviews are separated by an average 16.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Notorious (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Notorious's reviews cover 81.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,471 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 562 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 24.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Notorious's reviews on average broke 24.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Notorious's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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