8 years ago, there was "Notorious", a movie about the Notorious BIG.
So it was time for the best-selling rapper Tupac Shakur (2pac) to have a film about his life. It was time for "All Eyez on Me" which was named after his best-selling album!
Universal did some really heavy promotion for "Straight Outta Compton" with advertisements all throughout TV and on YouTube that even those with minimal knowledge about the hip-hop scene knew the movie was coming. Everyone on social media claimed to be Straight Outta Somewhere, and I seen even a local religious school having T-shirts stating their students came Straight Outta their school.
"Straight Outta Compton" made $50 million in its first weekend, making it the top ticket seller.
The advertising blitz and heavy promotion was something hard to top!
"All Eyez on Me" was talked about amongst hip-hop super-fans, but it had nowhere near the promotional blitz that "Straight Outta Compton", which was a shame being that 2pac was nearly everyone's favorite rapper.
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That being said, I had a strong interest in the 90's gangsta rap scene and 2pac was my favorite rapper. I read tons of books and articles about him, as well as listened to various interviews from him, as well as interviews of those who around him. So I was really interested in seeing everything I read and heard about being acted out on the movie screen.
Unlike "Straight Outta Compton" which told the story in a conventional way with scenes shown in chronological order, the first half of "All Eyez on Me: focused on a prison interview in which 2pac described his life, with scenes are shown as flashbacks! However, since 2pac's prison time was half-way through his career, everything that happened after his prison was shown in a conventional, chronological order way like how "Straight Outta Compton" was made. These decisions by the film-makers was seen as odd by many film critics and fans alike.
Obviously, it's hard to fit in 25 years of life into a 2 hour movie. However, I felt all the major parts that was heavily talked about were in the film.including
- 2pac growing up with a revolutionary mother who fell on hard times
- 2pac's family moving from New York to Baltimore, where he met classmate and future Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett. The school scenes showed him practicing for a school play
- 2pac's family moving AGAIN, this time to Oakland
- 2pac auditioning for talent scout Leila Steinberg
- 2pac working with Digital Underground
- 2pac starting on his solo work, as well as hist first film "Juice"
- Dan Quayle denouncing 2pac's lyrics
The various run-ins with the law were shown including
- the police brutality experienced after 2pac was jay-walking
- the shooting at the Marin County fair (the film didn't show who shot the gun, but it did show that the incident started when 2pac was confronted by gang members)
- the shooting at 2 European-American off-duty cops who were brutalizing an African-American man
But what really got 2pac in trouble was 2pac's sexual assault conviction.
This was the true test of how the movie handled the most the most damaging allegations.
"Straight Outta Compton" was accused of ignoring Dr Dre's abusive tendencies by not even addressing Dr Dre's assault of hip-hop journalist Dee Barnes as well as his domestic abuse of former girlfriend Michel'e (who made her own film "Surviving Compton" showing Dr Dre's abusive side).
The "Notorious" movie did show Biggie being abusive towards Lil Kim and Faith Evans. But the Biggie was already dead before the movie about him was made. Whereas Dr Dre was not only still alive but also the Executive Producer of "Straight Outta Compton" giving him free reign to sugar-coat his character in the movie.
2pac's situation was more complicated in that he was widely praised for his sensitive songs defending woman's rights, including "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Dear Mama".
But still, a woman did accuse 2pac and his friends of gang-rapping her in a hotel room. 2pac proclaimed his innocence.
In court, 2pac was acquitted of rape & sodomy charges, but was found guilty of groping the woman (which still counted as "sex abuse" in the court).
In the movie, 2pac met the woman at the nightclub. (This part got controversy because the film showed her rear-end first, which critics said degraded her from the very beginning.) Then a few nights later, 2pac invited the same woman to the hotel room. The film showed 2pac and the woman having a massage session and then 2pac fell asleep. Later, the woman barged into 2pac's room, crying angrily about his friends sexually assaulting her in the other room. She felt that 2pac knew it was going to happen.
The film showed 2pac being sentenced and his lawyer objected to the judge's sentencing him to a maximum-security prison for groping someone. 2pac just told the court that he was being persecuted by the justice system.
Being that 2pac claimed his innocence and that the film producer had close ties to 2pac and his family, the film will always have its critics on how the film address the sexual assault case. Being that Michel'e made her own film about Dr Dre's abusive ways, 2pac's accuser could also do the same thing.
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The film did show 2pac referring to the other guys in the case as "hangers-on" which offended them. The film portrayed one of those "hangers-on" being one of those who assisted the robbery were 2pac got shot in New York. After the shooting, the film showed that Biggie was in the upper floors of the building.
When recovering from the shooting, the film showed Biggie not being allowed to visit 2pac. 2pac blamed Biggie for the shooting. The issue was portrayed in further detail in the "Notorious" movie.
the film continued to show the abusive conditions inside the prison. Then when 2pac left prison, it was time for Suge Knight and Death Row Records.
Like all the other rap movies, Suge Knight was shown as a manipulative guy who knew how to get reluctant people to trust him, as well as an abusive guy who brutalized anyone who offended him.
Of course, the film showed 2pac's rivalry with Biggie, his encounter with Faith Evans.
Jada Pinkett Smith's character appeared again, confronting about how disappointed she was in 2pac. Just watching that scene was odd in that she confronted 2pac about the issue at a club where 2pac was sitting with some groupies. I mean, who would do that there? Who would cause a scene about the issue in that setting?
Lo and behold, the real life Jada Pinkett Smith was very angry that movie made up scenes about her interactions with 2pac that never happened.
The film did show 2pac wanting to leave Death Row, but Suge Knight claimed that 2pac owed him for his expenses, and then Suge Knight appeased 2pac by giving him his own department in the company, calling that department Death Row East.
The film did show Snoop Dogg claiming to be homies with Biggie, which angered 2pac!
The film did show 2pac's relations with Kidada Jones. I always thought that relationship was strange in that 2pac made racist comments about Kidada's father (Quincy Jones) having sex with white women, even though it later turns out that 2pac had one-night stands with Madonna. In the film, Kidada mention about 2pac meeting with Quincy Jones about the issue. I wish the movie actually had that scene with 2pac meeting Quincy Jones about that issue. That would've been classic!
And of course, 2pac in Las Vegas. The Mike Tyson fight. 2pac, Suge Knight and their gang getting into a fight in the casino. 2pac meeting with Kidada Jones after the fight. And of course, the infamous car ride.
The film ended with 2pac getting shot. That was the end of the film.
This disappointed many in the audience.
"Straight Outta Compton" had the hospital scene with Eazy-E, then the announcement of his death, and a memorial.
"Notorious" showed Biggie's funeral and the scene in Brooklyn were people gathered around the streets to see Biggie's casket take one last car ride, and people playing his music.
Why couldn't "All Eyez on Me" have the hosptial scenes. Much was talked about in interviews and books. We would've loved to see who visited and what was said.
We could've seen 2pac's family and friends gathering after his death. We could've had a public memorial scene for 2pac. I think many people would've loved to see that portrayed in a movie about 2pac.
That was the main weakness in the film.
But I still would recommend that film to anyone who is interested in the life of 2pac. A film can't satisfy everyone, but the film did show many crucial scenes. The film showed that there was more to 2pac's career than riding with Suge Knight. The film did portray 2pac's many struggles growing up.The film showed 2pac to be more than just "Thug Life" but also as a charming and funny guy.
In other words, the film showed 2pac as a multi-dimensional person with something for everyone : the revolutionaries, the gangstas, the groupies, the intellectuals, the class clowns, the family-oriented and more!
The spirit of 2pac lives on!
