The Basketball Diaries

R

1995

1 hr. 42 min.

Drama

Crime

Biography

List

47%

43 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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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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Ionela C

Dicaprio is untouchable. Not wonder why he won a Oscar in the Reverent later in his life

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/24

Full Review

Audience Member

This is the best USA drama movie I've seen! Thanks to film-maker Scott Calvert! The plot of the film is about how drugs ruin lives. A cheerful and successful guy became an antisocial psychopath because of heroin. This is a sad but true storyline. I was hooked by the moving stage in which the main character came to his parents and asked them to let him in, but they didn't want to do it because their son is a drug addict. I really liked the acting of well-known Leonardo DiCaprio's. He played the lead role. It is not given by unwind. Emotions are conveyed very well! I even cried from it! The film is very similar to life. Perfect cast and main character, perfect acting and sets! I like this movie because it's interesting, exciting and realistic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

Full Review

Connor S

A lot of heartache without enough explanation as to where the success story is.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

olive r

good movie probably wont watch again though its not really my thing

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Justin H

It's such a heartwarming movie's

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

Sean S

This is one of those movies that we loved growing up but critics don't understand it. It's about trials and tribulations not getting a message across.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

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Scott Kalvert

Director

Leonardo DiCaprio

Jim Carroll

Bruno Kirby

Swifty

Lorraine Bracco

Jim's Mother

Ernie Hudson

Reggie

Patrick McGaw

Neutron

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

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

Rated: B-

Mar 24, 2008

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

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.

Mar 24, 2008

Full Review

Time Out

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

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

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

Rated: 2/4

Mar 1, 2022

Full Review

Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

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.

Feb 18, 2022

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

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

Jan 7, 2022

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Chris Blackwell, Dan Genetti
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
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo