The Basketball Diaries

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The Basketball Diaries

R

1995

1h 42m

Drama

Crime

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) is consumed by his life as a high school basketball star. Pressured by a wicked coach (Bruno Kirby) and a concerned mother (Lorraine Bracco), Jim develops an appetite for heroin. Soon, the mean streets of New York City have replaced the basketball court as his main destination. Jim and his friends scrounge, steal and prostitute themselves to score drugs. Jim's only chance to escape addiction may be Reggie (Ernie Hudson), a neighborhood friend and hoops companion.

Critics Consensus

In spite of its young leading man's heroic efforts to hold it all together, a muddled message prevents The Basketball Diaries from compelling as a cautionary tale.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

03/24/2008

B-

For those few soul-freezing moments, you get a glimpse of the great actor Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

03/24/2008

Significantly, the movie keeps the hero's reformation offscreen as well as unexplained; it's more interested in shock effects than in candor or elucidation.

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Time Out

01/26/2006

The angel-faced DiCaprio is a gifted actor, but he lacks the authority and physical presence to keep us with him.

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

03/01/2022

2/4

There is no conflict here, just pointless and aimless wandering. It's a downer but, nonetheless, an intriguing DiCaprio performance.

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Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

02/18/2022

DiCaprio's early 90s accomplishments have been widely dismissed or ignored ever since Titanic's Jack Dawson become a beloved movie figure amongst parents and their nostalgia-loving kids.

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

01/07/2022

The screenplay could definitely have been better-but it's worth the watch for Leo's performance alone.

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Oliver C

@OliverClose Dec 5

An uncomfortable experience, to say the least. But also quite rewarding.

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FutureFilmCareerHopefully .

Nov 10

I did like this movie. I thought it was really deep and emotional and the acting by everyone in the movie was fantastic.

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Darren P

Oct 19

Good film I liked it Great acting

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Sep 16

Watching again in 2025, haven't seen it forever. Forgot how good it was but remembered really liking it the first time. All the acting is great and the story is original. It's an easy addition to any collection and Should be in it.

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Mackenzie A

@Mackenz Aug 24

For those few soul-freezing moments, you get a glimpse of the great actor Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be.

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David L

@Davidodave Aug 18

an intoxicating, frightening and emotionally honest essay on the self-destructive impulses of the nascent artist.

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Scott Kalvert

Director

Leonardo DiCaprio

Jim Carroll

Bruno Kirby

Swifty

Lorraine Bracco

Jim's Mother

Ernie Hudson

Reggie

Patrick McGaw

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Synopsis

Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) is consumed by his life as a high school basketball star. Pressured by a wicked coach (Bruno Kirby) and a concerned mother (Lorraine Bracco), Jim develops an appetite for heroin. Soon, the mean streets of New York City have replaced the basketball court as his main destination. Jim and his friends scrounge, steal and prostitute themselves to score drugs. Jim's only chance to escape addiction may be Reggie (Ernie Hudson), a neighborhood friend and hoops companion.

Director: Scott Kalvert
Producer: Liz Heller, John Bard Manulis
Screenwriter: Bryan Goluboff
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Island Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Oct 19, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo