Notorious (2009)

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

"George Tillman’s serviceable but uninspired Biggie biopic contrives to ignore the elephant in the room. Was Biggie involved in Tupac’s shooting(s)?"

"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."

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

"Angela Bassett is great as his strict, single mother; The soundtrack is great, of course, and the ending features moving archival footage of the streets of Brooklyn after Wallace's murder."

"A big biopic that doesn't quite paint the full picture."

"If you’re a Biggy fan, you’ll easily see past the flaws of the film for the bliss it provides, and you’ll probably walk out misty-eyed. If you’re not a Biggy fan, as a modern Hollywood hip-hop piece it beats the pants off Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin' or 8 Mile."

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

"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."

"A hip hop hagiography that plays like a straight-to-TV movie."