Basquiat
1996
Andy Warhol was a phenomenon who warrants a lot of explaining: a completely colorless mega-star celebrity, and a kind of LaBrea Tarpit for a vivid and talented collection of oddballs in the New York scene. He fostered their continued degeneration into weird lifestyles and heavy drug use; and at the same time acted as their .. Read more
| Starring | Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman |
|---|---|
| Director | Julian Schnabel |
| Genres | Drama |
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Basquiat
Andy Warhol was a phenomenon who warrants a lot of explaining: a completely colorless mega-star celebrity, and a kind of LaBrea Tarpit for a vivid and talented collection of oddballs in the New York scene. He fostered their continued degeneration into weird lifestyles and heavy drug use; and at the same time acted as their mentor, agent, and sponsor. One artist who came to be part of Warhol's scene was Jean Michel Basquiat, an antisocial street-bum who went from writing graffiti on alley walls to being the toast of New York City's art world. This film biography chronicles the progression of Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) and his progression from living in cardboard boxes to penthouses, his romances, his drug use, and his death in 1988 at age 27. Along the way, he never stopped detesting the rich, including art agent Bruno Bischofberger (Dennis Hopper), and he never lost his naivete. Warhol (David Bowie) picks up some of the pieces as Basquiat lurches through the art scene. Cameo appearances by Tatum O'Neal and Courtney Love add spice to this interesting film.~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Courtney Love, Parker Posey, Paul Bartel, Tatum O'Neal, Claire Forlani, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Jean Cla |
|---|---|
| Director | Julian Schnabel |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 46 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 30 Jun 2003 Production year: 1996 |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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This is the true story of black artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) as told by his friend and contemporary, director Julian Schnabel. Basquiat went from being an angry graffiti artist to one of Andy Warhol's close circle before overdosing on heroin in the late 1980s. Schnabel's aim is to show how the man, reputedly the self-destructive James Dean of the art world, was uncomfortable being lionised by the bourgeoisie he so despised. But Basquiat comes off more as a tiresome antihero in this well-meaning biopic, which fails to reveal why he's more deserving of remembrance than any other Warhol satellite. Part of the problem is that Wright doesn't have the compelling quality to match the artist's reputation. Benicio Del Toro is good as Basquiat's put-upon best friend and David Bowie even better as Warhol in this self-serving tale of tortured genius.
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Biopic of Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died in 1988 at the age of 27; it has its moments, yet the story is told in a cautious manner, and displays little insight into his extraordinary career and the environment which nurtured and, possibly, destroyed him.
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Most helpful member's review
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Most recent members' review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Really cool, quirky film
I loved this film, the characters were really cool and interesting, the acting was great. There was so many nice little parts to this film, I'm definatley ... more
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Cadillac Records
- 16 Feb 2009
“It feels like I met myself for the first time,” marvels McKinley Morganfield, after Alan Lomax plays back his field recording of McKinley playing the blues. The year is 1941, and within ten years, this southern sharecropper’s son will be at the wheel of his own brand new Cadillac, a first generation pop star, of sorts, courtesy of Polish immigrant Leonard Chess and his company, Chess Records. That would be under his stage name: Muddy Waters. Played by Jeffrey Wright –... Read more
[Highly rated reviewer]
