An excerpt from my script review for All Eyez On Me which will be available 06/19/17:
3.) Quality of Characters
Where the main characters in Straight Outta Compton wanted fame for all the wrong reasons, Tupac wanted fame for the right ones.
At least initially.
Influenced by his mother, formerly a strong and determined Black Panther who took on the US government, Tupac wanted to change the world, especially improving upon the lives of young black men growing up without fathers.
When his “thug life” style of hip hop started to take off, the lyrics weren’t well received by most Americans, but he argued that the same people that hated him were the ones creating the impoverished conditions he wanted desperately to change.
I enjoyed this angle, even though he got caught up in the success that eventually led to his demise, becoming that which he sought out initially to overcome.
Tupac was relatable as a character, something critics of hip hop may not expect coming into this story.
As I read through the script, I jumped over to YouTube, to watch videos or interviews of people who knew him. Most talked about how caring the real Tupac was, and that played out in various points of the script.
A biopic is one thing, but if you can present an unheard of side to the famous person you’re writing about, that’s what makes for writing that people want to read.
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