THE BASKETBALL DIARIESÂ (18)
D: Scott Kalvert
New Line/Island (Liz Heller)
USA 🇺🇸 1995
102 mins
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Drama/Biopic/Crime
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W: Brian Goluboff [based on the book by Jim
Carroll]
DP: David Phillips
Ed: Dana Congdon
Mus: Graeme Revell
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Leonardo DiCaprio (Jim Carroll), Lorraine Bracco (Mrs.
Carroll), Bruno Kirby (Swifty), Ernie Hudson (Reggie), Patrick McGaw (Neutron), James Madio (Pedro), Mark Wahlberg (Mickey), Michael Imperioli (Bobby)
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Based on Jim Carroll's autobiographical memoirs of his
own teenage years, when he descended from a promising student & basketball player at a catholic school into a world of drug-addiction, petty crime and prostitution.
Carroll's book once caused a sensation in-print,
but Director Kalvert makes a huge error relocating the story to present day New York City, while the narrated poetry of the precocious writer feels incredibly
pretentious.
The performances are decent without being entirely
convincing, while the insinuation that Carroll kicked his habit on his own, with the aid of his poetry, is incredibly difficult to swallow.
Should have been a whole lot better- and would have
been had the story been presented during the 1960's as it was when it was in print.
6/10