Synopsis
The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
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Cast
- Jeffrey WrightJean-Michel Basquiat
- David BowieAndy Warhol
- Dennis HopperBruno Bischofberger
- Gary OldmanAlbert Milo
- Benicio del ToroBenny Dalmau
- Claire ForlaniGina Cardinale
- Michael WincottRene Ricard
- Parker PoseyMary Boone
- Courtney LoveBig Pink
- Tatum O'NealCynthia Kruger
Recommendations
- 100
Rolling Stone
Most movies stress the agony of art (think of Kirk Douglas' Van Gogh in "Lust for Life"). Schnabel's exceptional film honors his friend by showing the act of creation as a natural high. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
The New York art world quickly makes Basquiat a star. His work is good (when you see it in the movie, you can feel why people liked it so much), but his story is better: from a cardboard box to a gallery opening! - 80
Salon
For a first feature, this surprisingly likeable film might just revitalize Schnabel's persona in art circles, as well as make a splash with hip young filmgoers. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
It's smart and good-hearted and boasts an amazingly good score, but the film is limited by the very private nature of the man it portrays. - 70
Washington Post
But the film, written and directed by fellow artist Julian Schnabel, is so tender in its affections, these omissions and poetic licenses seem like the embellishments of a good friend. - 63
ReelViews
According to Schnabel, the movie is intended to celebrate the man's life, not to mourn his death, so Basquiat's last days are not shown. It's one of many miscalculations made by the director, because, when the end credits roll, we're left without a sense of closure. - 60
The New York Times
But the film's central figure remains a cipher, the subject of a colorful scrapbook rather than a revealing portrait. - 50
Washington Post
Despite the movie's suffocating sense of chic Soho hipness, it touches on all the square cliches about the tragic life of the misunderstood artist.
