I knew little about Notorious B.I.G. going into this movie, other than he was murdered in an East Coast/West Coast rapper feud which also claimed Tupac Shakur. I didn't know anything about his music or his life.
What really made me like this movie was the way the writing, directing, and acting helped bring the character and his story to life. The movie went into a lot of depth about Wallace's upbringing in Brooklyn, about his mother, his absentee father, the neighborhood influences, his slide into the "Thug Life" of violence, drug dealing, and prison, all of which contributed to his development as an acclaimed rapper.
I really enjoyed how his entertainment career development interacted with Lil' Kim, Puff Daddy, Tupac, and all of the others.
Many people will be turned off by how this movie seems to glorify violence, objectifies women, and accepts the baser and more coarse aspects of inner city Black culture. Yet I can't help but find a lot to like in this movie, especially the story it tells, the characters it develops and explores, the live music scenes, and the acting, above all.
Even if you hate rap music, this is a movie well worth renting.
What really made me like this movie was the way the writing, directing, and acting helped bring the character and his story to life. The movie went into a lot of depth about Wallace's upbringing in Brooklyn, about his mother, his absentee father, the neighborhood influences, his slide into the "Thug Life" of violence, drug dealing, and prison, all of which contributed to his development as an acclaimed rapper.
I really enjoyed how his entertainment career development interacted with Lil' Kim, Puff Daddy, Tupac, and all of the others.
Many people will be turned off by how this movie seems to glorify violence, objectifies women, and accepts the baser and more coarse aspects of inner city Black culture. Yet I can't help but find a lot to like in this movie, especially the story it tells, the characters it develops and explores, the live music scenes, and the acting, above all.
Even if you hate rap music, this is a movie well worth renting.