The Basketball Diaries (1995)

Best movie ever!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Among all the actors that have influenced me over the years, Leonardo DiCaprio dates back the farthest. Every time I see him in a movie, I'm completely amazed. After his breakout film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" brought him into the limelight, this film took him up a notch. It is arguably Leo's best pre-Titanic role.The Basketball Diaries is an autobiographical look into the life of Jim Carroll. Jim was a New York teenager who enjoyed horsing around and aspired to be a basketball star. Jim's environment sucks: his neighbourhood is full of poor wackos, his mother is poor, his best friend is dying or leukaemia, and his high school consists of priests and normal teachers who are physically and sexually abusive. Jim and his pals are at a boiling point. As they just want to have fun and escape the horrors around them the craziest in Jim's entourage, Mickey (played by Marky Mark) gets them a hold of drugs. Jim soon finds himself addicted with life spiralling out of control. So this is pretty formulaic: a youth with all the potential in the world escapes harsh realities by turning to drugs and hits rock bottom. But what makes this different and better than most is raw power. I started this review raving about DiCaprio's performance. He really is that good, one of his best. He is able to show such an enormous range starting with a smart teenager and ending as a junkie near death. He doesn't switch gears into the different stages of Jim's fall, he gradually flows. That's something no other young actor had the talent to do. It is so special and is so rare for anybody in anymore to tackle. No matter the stage in Jim's life, Leo plays him with such conviction. That's why this remains one of Leo's best. I know many people still rave about "Gilbert Grape" being Leo's best, but this is actually far superior. Arnie Grape was really a one-note character with little range and a small outpour of emotion. The supporting cast keeps this from being a bad movie with a great performance. This was one of Mark Wahlberg's first movies and he nails it. Ernie Hudson has a bit part as Jim's neighbour and he's awesome. And this is Lorraine Bracco's best role other than "Goodfellas." The directing is also impressive. The farther Jim descends, the more filming changes and the more cinematography does. I know Martin Scorsese did this in "Goodfellas," but The Basketball Diaries does it all in different ways. Every aspect is full of overwhelming emotion and natural raw power, keeping this from being just another drug picture.

Absolutely loved this movie. This might be Leo at his best (sans Gilbert Grape). Easily could have turned into an after school special, but Kalvert walks this line brilliantly. In addition to Leo, this might be Wahlberg's best performance (sans Boogie Nights). It's a dark disturbing tale, that is told through bold and authentic performances.

This film isn't for everyone, you either hate it or love it. It sometimes lacks that constant up-beat easy to watch feel that certain types of audiences need to enjoy a film and is replaced with brutal honesty.The performances from all of the actors were outstanding, with Leonardo DiCaprio performing some of the best acting I have ever seen. His portrayal of Jim was so real and raw that he gave so much of himself to the role that it began to look effortless. So many scenes in this movie were beautifully done. A few stand out moments to name: The basketball scene in the rain, every confrontation between Jim and his mother, and the Withdrawal scene where once again Leo gives a spine tingling performance. If you want to enjoy The Basketball diaries you must go into it with an open mind and take the film for what it is. It isn't a fancy, modern, stylized, glamorized film about drugs but rather an honest, raw, bold and touching movie about the self-destruction of a boy who falls head first into the harrowing world of drug addiction. This movie for me is an overlooked, underrated piece of art. Which is why I love it. I wouldn't change one thing about it.

I watched this film recently with my girlfriend and several friends having not seen it since around the time when it first came out. I remember at the time thinking how powerful a performance Leonardo Dicaprio gave of Jim Carrol's real life character. The performance was so good I remember at the time telling friends who had recently seen Titanic, that they will be shocked by this performance as it proved he is one of the most versatile actors in cinema today and then. Over the years I have told people I have met, you need to see this movie but not many have and it seems to have sneaked under the radar a little. Therefore when It was on television recently I made everyone watch this film. Everyone who did came back to me saying the same thing, 'wasn't leo good in it'!! The scenes involving Carrol begging his mother to let him into the apartment so he can ask for money to help feed his drug habit are shockingly powerful.Its an amazing portrayal of the dangers of drug addiction and how it can effect young people who dabble with the dangers so quickly, turning their lives on its head with out them realising how it even happened. some strong messages in this film that many teenagers need to watch.Having watched it again some years later, It has dated slightly in time but not only Leo is outstanding but Mark Whalberg shows that he too was showing potential back then 15 years ago or so. I have never been too sure of Whalberg in the past sometimes mixing natural acting ability in movies such as 'the fighter' or his interesting performance of the character police detective 'dignam' in the departed with shocking performances such as 'the happening or Planet of the Apes (where to be honest I don't blame him but the directors for poor casting). But Wharlberg in this movie shows genuine class, perhaps portraying a young man who had an adolecence pretty similar to his diaries character 'mickey'.on a whole the film is a class act and hidden gem. A must see.