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''All Eyez on Me'' is a 2017 American
biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
about the African-American rapper
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, directed by Benny Boom and written by Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez, and Steven Bagatourian. Titled after Shakur's 1996 fourth studio album as well as the song of the same name, the film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Shakur with
Kat Graham Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer and dancer (now distributing music under the stage name Toro Gato). She is widely known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama ser ...
,
Lauren Cohan Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles incl ...
, Hill Harper, and
Danai Gurira Danai Jekesai Gurira (; born February 14, 1978) is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2020, 2022) and as Okoye in th ...
in supporting roles, with
Jamal Woolard Jamal "Gravy" Woolard (born July 8, 1975) is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for portraying rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in the film '' Notorious'', and, as a supporting character, in the Tupac Shakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me''. Lif ...
reprising his role as Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace from '' Notorious'' (2009). Talks of a Tupac biopic began in 2011 by
Morgan Creek Entertainment Group Morgan Creek Entertainment is an American film production company that has released box-office hits including '' Young Guns'', '' Dead Ringers'', '' Major League'', ''True Romance'', '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', '' The Crush'', '' Robin Hood: ...
. The film languished in development hell for several years with various directors, including
Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with ''The Replacement Killers''. His critica ...
and
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
, attached at different points before Boom was confirmed in November 2015. That December, Shipp Jr., whose father worked on music videos with Shakur, was cast as the rapper and
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began that month. It lasted until April 2016, filming in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. ''All Eyez on Me'' premiered on June 14, 2017, at the
Fox Bruin Theater The Fox Bruin Theater is a 670-seat movie palace located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, near University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). History The Bruin is located in the heart of the Mediterranean-themed Westw ...
and was released in the United States on June 16, 2017, on what would have been Shakur's 46th birthday. The film was unsuccessful at the box office, grossing just $55 million worldwide against a budget of about $40 million, and received generally negative reviews from critics.


Plot

At the Clinton Correctional Facility in 1995, a documentary filmmaker arrives to interview
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
. In a flashback to 1971, Tupac's mother,
Afeni Shakur Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded t ...
, and other Black Panther Party members are released from prison following acquittal. From an early age, Tupac, instilled with black pride, witnesses multiple injustices in his neighborhood. His stepfather, Mutulu, a revolutionary, is caught by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
for an armored-truck robbery and murder. As Tupac gets older, he distances himself from his mother's revolutionary ideals. He attends the
Baltimore School for the Arts The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the ...
, where he becomes friends with Jada Pinkett. Tupac's music career begins when he joins
Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...
for their hit " Same Song". Under manager Atron Gregory, he begins to have hip-hop albums produced. Although his music becomes popular, some songs' controversial lyrics cause tensions between him and his record producers. Tupac begins acting in movies such as ''
Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
'', as well as collaborating with performers including
Biggie Smalls Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
. He generates both praise and controversy. Tupac finds himself beaten by police officers over jaywalking. Another time, after he and E.D.I. Mean, a member of 2Pac's group called, "Outlawz" intervene when two white male off-duty police officers assault a black man, Tupac is arrested for shooting at the cops. Tupac develops a contentious relationship with a
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
drug dealing club promoter and aspiring music executive named Nigel. In 1993, Tupac goes on trial for rape and harassment charges. On November 30, 1994, he is attacked and robbed by three men from Brooklyn in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios, is shot five times before the men flee, and is hospitalized. The following day, Tupac is found not guilty of rape, but found guilty of illegal touching, and sentenced to eighteen months in prison. While in prison, Tupac hears Biggie's song "
Who Shot Ya? "Who Shot Ya"Bad Boy Entertainment, advertisement, ''Vibe'', 2004 Aug;12(875 or often "Who Shot Ya?"Sound recording"The Notorious B.I.G.—Who Shot Ya? (official audio)" ''The Notorious B.I.G.'' "Official Artist Channel" @ YouTube, 20 Sep 2019. (Th ...
", and interprets it as a diss track bragging about Biggie's alleged involvement in his shooting. Tupac, who is assaulted by two guards while in prison, eventually is released and signs to Death Row Records under Suge Knight. Tupac and label-mate
Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
work on the hit song "
California Love "California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first sing ...
". He releases the track " Hit Em Up" as a response to "Who Shot Ya?" in which Tupac brags about supposedly having an affair with Biggie's wife
Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...
. Tupac parts ways with Death Row to launch his own company. Later, Suge offers Tupac a chance to become partners, and Tupac agrees to head Death Row's East Coast operations. On September 7, 1996, Tupac, Suge, and other members of the Mob Pirus are leaving the Mike Tyson vs.
Bruce Seldon Bruce Samuel Seldon (born January 30, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1996, and 2004 to 2009. He held the WBA heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996, most notably losing to Mike Tyson via knockout in his se ...
boxing match at the
MGM Grand Las Vegas The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of roo ...
. They confront a Southside Compton Crips gang member named Orlando Anderson who had jumped a friend, and Tupac knocks him to the ground, leading to a brawl. Tupac stops by his hotel to change clothes, and tells Kidada he will return in an hour from performing at Club 662. With Suge, Tupac is at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane when a Cadillac pulls alongside Suge's BMW and from the backseat an arm with a leather glove on & a
Glock 17 Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...
shoots Tupac multiple times before fleeing the scene. Onscreen text states that Tupac was pronounced dead six days later at age 25. Tupac had released 9 platinum albums, 7 posthumous albums, 75 million albums sold, 713 songs, and 7 movies, all by the age of 25. It has been two decades since his death and his murder remains unsolved.


Cast


Production


Development

On February 10, 2011, it was announced that
Morgan Creek Productions Morgan Creek Entertainment is an American film production company that has released box-office hits including '' Young Guns'', '' Dead Ringers'', '' Major League'', ''True Romance'', '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', '' The Crush'', '' Robin Hood: ...
was developing, and would finance and produce, ''Tupac'', a biographical film about rap legend
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, which would follow his entire life, from growing up in East Harlem to becoming a legendary songwriter and hip-hop artist, to his death in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
at the age of 25.
Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with ''The Replacement Killers''. His critica ...
was attached as the director of the film, and the script was written by Steven Bagatourian, Stephen J. Rivele, and
Christopher Wilkinson Christopher Wilkinson (born March 29, 1950) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for '' Nixon'' (1995).
. James G. Robinson and David C. Robinson were set to produce the film, along with Program Pictures' L.T. Hutton, and Tupac's mother
Afeni Shakur Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded t ...
was set as executive producer, with production initially scheduled to begin that summer. On September 19, 2013,
Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films Emmett/Furla Oasis Films (EFO Films), previously known as Emmett/Furla Films and Oasis Ventures Entertainment separately, is an American film and television production and financing company founded by Randall Emmett and George Furla in 1998. It is ...
came on board to co-finance and co-produce the $45 million-budgeted film, along with Morgan Creek. On February 12, 2014,
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
signed on to rewrite, direct and produce the film, and on April 16, 2014,
Open Road Films Open Road Films, LLC (formerly Global Road Entertainment from 2017 to 2018) is an American film production and distribution company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Eric Hohl on March 26, 2011 as a joint venture between the t ...
acquired the United States distribution rights. Ed Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft, and Singleton wrote the then-latest draft of the script. On April 7, 2015, it was revealed that Singleton had exited the film due to major creative differences, while
Carl Franklin Carl Franklin (born April 11, 1949) is an American filmmaker. Franklin is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, and continued his education at the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with an M.F.A. degree in directing in 1986. Earl ...
was being eyed to direct instead. On October 28, 2015,
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
reported that Emmett/Furla/Oasis had sued Morgan Creek over $10 million for breaking the companies' co-production agreement, signed in September 2013. In the agreement, terms included not raising the production budget above $30 million, mutual approval for the lead actor's selection, a filming schedule, and agreements on distribution and sales. Randall Emmett and George Furla also stated that they had all first signed a distribution deal with Open Road, which Morgan Creek rejected, and that Morgan Creek had inked a new deal with Open Road without mutual approval.


Casting

On November 30, 2015, it was reported that music director Benny Boom would direct the film, replacing Franklin. In early December 2015, the film's title was confirmed to be ''All Eyez On Me''. Newcomer Demetrius Shipp, Jr. was set to play Tupac.
Jamal Woolard Jamal "Gravy" Woolard (born July 8, 1975) is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for portraying rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in the film '' Notorious'', and, as a supporting character, in the Tupac Shakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me''. Lif ...
joined the film to play
The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
, Tupac's friend turned rival, reprising his starring role in the 2009 film '' Notorious''. On January 11, 2016,
Danai Gurira Danai Jekesai Gurira (; born February 14, 1978) is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2020, 2022) and as Okoye in th ...
was added to the film's cast to play Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur, a political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. ''Variety'' reported the next day that
Kat Graham Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer and dancer (now distributing music under the stage name Toro Gato). She is widely known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama ser ...
had signed on to play Jada Pinkett, a friend of Tupac from the
Baltimore School for the Arts The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the ...
. It was later revealed that Dominic L. Santana had been cast as record producer Suge Knight. On January 13,
Jamie Hector Jamie Hector (born October 7, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' and as Detective Jerry Edgar in the drama series '' Bosch''. Career Hector began ac ...
signed on to play
Mutulu Shakur Mutulu Shakur (born Jeral Wayne Williams; August 8, 1950) is an American activist and former member of the Black Liberation Army, sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guar ...
, Tupac's stepfather. On January 15,
Lauren Cohan Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles incl ...
joined the cast to play Leila Steinberg, a key figure in Tupac's life, as his mentor.
Money B Ronald Brooks, better known by his stage name Money-B, is an American rapper, best known for being a member of the funk and rap group Digital Underground. He is a member of Raw Fusion with DJ Fuze whom they had two albums, ''Live From the Stylee ...
appeared in the film as himself, Tupac's coworker at
Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...
, while
Clifton Powell Clifton Powell (born March 16, 1956) is an American actor who primarily plays supporting roles in films, such as in ''Ray'' (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination. Care ...
was cast as Floyd, an inmate at the
Clinton Correctional Facility Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannem ...
, and Johnell Young as Tupac's close friend Ray Luv. On January 19,
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...
reported that Grace Gibson had been cast to play Biggie Smalls' wife,
Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...
, and on January 22, 2016, Keith Robinson was cast as Atron Gregory, a TNT Records founder, who first helped Tupac become a dancer and a solo artist.
Annie Ilonzeh Annette Ngozi Ilonzeh (born August 23, 1983) is a Nigerian-American actress. From 2010 to 2011, she played Maya Ward on the ABC daytime soap opera '' General Hospital'', and later starred as Kate Prince in the short-lived ABC reboot of '' Charl ...
was added to the cast in February 2016 to play
Kidada Jones Kidada Ann Jones ( ; born March 22, 1974) is an American actress, model, and fashion designer. Jones works as a designer for The Walt Disney Company, where she has a line known as Kidada for Disney Couture. Jones is the daughter of record produc ...
, who was engaged to Tupac at the time of his death.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
on the film began in mid-December 2015 in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. Filming wrapped on April 12, 2016, in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
.


Marketing

On June 16, 2016, on what would have been Shakur's 45th birthday, a teaser trailer for the film was released, and a second trailer premiered on September 13, 2016, the 20th anniversary of Shakur's death. The film's release date was set as June 16, 2017. On February 10, 2017, a third teaser trailer was released, confirming Summit, Morgan Creek, Program Pictures, and Codeblack Films as producers and distributors. On April 6, 2017, a fourth trailer was released. No official soundtrack album was released to accompany the film.


Reception


Box office

''All Eyez on Me'' grossed $44.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $10.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $55.7 million, against a production budget of $40 million. In North America, ''All Eyez on Me'' was released on June 16, 2017, alongside ''
Rough Night ''Rough Night'' (released in some countries as ''Girls' Night Out'') is a 2017 American black comedy film directed by Lucia Aniello (in her feature debut) and written by Aniello and Paul W. Downs. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, J ...
'', ''
47 Meters Down ''47 Meters Down'' is a 2017 survival horror film directed by Johannes Roberts, written by Roberts and Ernest Riera, and starring Claire Holt and Mandy Moore. The plot follows two sisters who are invited to cage dive while on holiday in Mexico. ...
'' and ''
Cars 3 ''Cars 3'' is a 2017 American computer-animated sports comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel to ''Cars 2'' (2011) and the third installment of the ''Cars'' film series, the ...
'', and was projected to gross $17–20 million from 2,471 theatres in its opening weekend. It took in $12.8 million on Friday (including $3.1 million from Thursday night previews), increasing weekend estimates to $31 million. It ended up debuting to $26.4 million, finishing 3rd at the box office, behind ''Cars 3'' ($53.7 million) and ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
'' ($41.3 million).
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...
attributed the film's success to the release corresponding with Tupac's birthday, as well as to audience interest in the subject matter, following the success of rap biopic '' Straight Outta Compton'' in 2015; 47% of the opening weekend audience was black, 25% Hispanic, and 19% white. In its second weekend, the film declined 78% to $5.8 million, the 16th largest such decline on record. In its third weekend, the film, which had dropped down to 1,258 theatres, declined another 68.6% to $1.8 million, finishing 11th at the box office.


Critical response

On review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has an approval rating of 18% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite Demetrius Shipp Jr.'s fine lead performance, ''All Eyez on Me'' is mostly a surface-skimming, by-the-numbers biopic of a larger-than-life icon." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, and
PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...
reported filmgoers gave it an 82% overall positive score.
Glenn Kenny Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''. Biography Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' gave the film a negative review, saying: "Almost all the dialogue is that flat-footed. It’s a stark contrast to the almost always vivid power of Shakur’s own words, which could be profoundly empathetic and pettily profane." Owen Gleiberman of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "Comprehensive but sketchy, richly atmospheric but often under-dramatized, it is not, in the end, a very good movie (there are a few scenes, like Tupac’s initial meeting with
Ted Field Frederick Woodruff "Ted" Field (born June 1, 1953) is an American media mogul, record executive, entrepreneur and film producer. He co-founded Interscope Records with Jimmy Iovine and founded Interscope Communications to develop and produce f ...
of Interscope Records, that are embarrassingly bad). Yet it’s highly worth seeing because in its volatility and hunger, and the desperation of its violence, it captures something about the space in which Tupac Shakur lived: a place that wanted to be all about pride and power, but was really about flying over the abyss."


Historical accuracy

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' name ...
stated that the film contained inaccuracies about her relationship with Shakur, and why he left for California. Smith specified that Tupac never read the poem he read to her character in the film, and that she had no knowledge that it even existed until it was published in his
book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...
. She also stated that she never attended one of Shakur's shows at his request, and that there was no backstage argument. However, she praised the performances of Shipp and Graham. Ayanna Jackson, the woman who had accused Shakur of sexual assault, described her portrayal in the movie as, “absolutely ludicrous … nothing about it is me at all,” and that the film's depiction of the situation between her and Shakur was “such a falsehood”. Jackson stated that she walked out of the movie theater while seeing the film after seeing her portrayal. Both
Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
and Suge Knight gave blessings to the film, praising their respective portrayals.


Lawsuit

In June 2017, shortly after ''All Eyez on Me'' was released journalist
Kevin Powell Kevin Powell (born April 24, 1966) is an American writer, activist, and television personality. Powell is the author of 14 books, including ''The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood'' and ''When We Free the World'' publis ...
filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the filmmakers. In the complaint Powell alleged that the film was derived from several articles that Powell wrote for ''
Vibe Magazine ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production ...
'' in the 1990s. While events from Tupac's life are in the public domain, Powell claimed to have "changed or embellished" portions of his articles. One of the claims made by Powell in the lawsuit was that he had invented the character of Nigel.


See also

* ''Notorious'' (2009 film) * ''Straight Outta Compton'' (2015 film) * List of black films of the 2010s *
List of hood films This is a list of hood films – films focusing on the culture and life of African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and/or in some cases, Asian Americans living in segregated, low-income urban communities, as well as comparably deprived and crime-ri ...


Notes


References


External links

* * *
All Eyez on Me
is available on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey {{Benny Boom 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s hip hop films 2017 films 2017 biographical drama films 2017 drama films African-American biographical dramas African-American films American biographical drama films Biographical films about musicians Cultural depictions of Tupac Shakur Drama films based on actual events Films directed by Benny Boom Films scored by John Paesano Films set in 1971 Films set in 1993 Films set in 1994 Films set in 1995 Films set in 1996 Films set in Baltimore Films set in Los Angeles Films set in New York City Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Films shot in Atlanta Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in Los Angeles Hood films Lionsgate films Morgan Creek Productions films Summit Entertainment films Works about Tupac Shakur