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Basquiat

Play trailer Poster for Basquiat R Released Aug 9, 1996 1h 48m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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69% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Despite living a life of extreme poverty in Brooklyn, graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) strives to rise up through the heady New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s. He becomes the brightest star of neo-Expressionist painting and one of the most successful painters of his time, and even develops a friendship with Andy Warhol (David Bowie). But Basquiat's tumultuous life, specifically his addiction to heroin, overshadows his rise to fame, threatening all.
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Basquiat

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Critics Consensus

With affected strokes, Basquiat paints an expressionist portrait of a misfit artist, masterfully rendered by a riveting Jeffrey Wright.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader There isn't a boring shot anywhere, and writer-director Schnabel is clearly enjoying himself as he plays with expressionist sound, neo-Eisensteinian edits, and all sorts of other filmic ideas. Mar 31, 2010 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Wright is brilliant. Rated: 4/5 Sep 16, 2004 Full Review Michael Musto The Advocate Despite all the loving care, there's a slight lack of power in the presentation, which is surprisingly straightforward, except for some heavy-handed attempts at lyricism. Jun 7, 2022 Full Review David Reddish Queerty Basquiat pulls back the veil on a man gifted with artistic genius, and the inherent insecurity that talent brings. If a genius brain burns white-hot, how can said genius ever not get burned? Rated: 4/4 Mar 20, 2022 Full Review Ángel Fernández-Santos El Pais (Spain) The film is an elementary illustration of a life with suicidal overtones, but reduced by [director Julian] Schnabel to a sort of kind, lyrical and almost sweet homemade tale. [Full review in Spanish] Apr 4, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Oaklee D A tasteful and well made biopic on one of the artworlds big stars. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/25 Full Review Julian S The cast is stellar, but the film ends abruptly, almost as if Schnabel ran out of steam. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/18/24 Full Review Eric P I think the directer (J. Schnabel) did an excellent job capturing the vibe of the NY art scene in the early 80s. Since he was part of that scene as a painter, he prob. knew the characters pretty well. While the film isn't perfect, I though Jeffrey Wright did an amazing job at portraying Basquiat. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/02/25 Full Review Hatsuhito S バスキアのある側面のみ、天才として描いた映画。 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/23 Full Review Shioka O Yes we all know the ending, and his life, but still watchable. interesting casting. Should be more artistic energy and internal psychological conflict expressed. I feel this is fairly bland at times. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/01/22 Full Review Audience Member Julian Schnabel directs the true story of a young artist A large star-studded cast from Christopher Walken to David Bowie to Parker Posey to Benecio del Toro to Gary Oldman to Dennis Hopper to Willem Dafoe Jeffery Wright's feature debut as he plays graffiti artist Basquiat Taking place in 1979 Basquiat is homeless living in extreme poverty in the big apple His mother is in a senior home with her mind slowly disappearing Then he captures the attention of many artists becoming a part of the Neo-expressionist era He becomes one of the most successful painters Basquiat even forms a friendship with Andy Warhol but his addiction to drugs overshadows his claim to fame This movie illuminates the life of a turbulent artist Schnabel utilizes expressionist sound, neo-Eisensteinian edits, and all sorts of other filmic ideas Ain't exactly an upbeat story and can be very weighing at times but Jeffery Wright's first film appearance is a good testing of the waters for dramatics Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Basquiat

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Movie Info

Synopsis Despite living a life of extreme poverty in Brooklyn, graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) strives to rise up through the heady New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s. He becomes the brightest star of neo-Expressionist painting and one of the most successful painters of his time, and even develops a friendship with Andy Warhol (David Bowie). But Basquiat's tumultuous life, specifically his addiction to heroin, overshadows his rise to fame, threatening all.
Director
Julian Schnabel
Producer
Jon Kilik, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Randy Ostrow
Screenwriter
Julian Schnabel, Lech Majewski, John F. Bowe
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, Jon Kilik, Eleventh Street Production
Rating
R (Strong Language|Drug Use)
Genre
Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 9, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 20, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$25.4K
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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