Basketball Diaries

I remember that when the Columbine shootings happened, some people blamed "The Basketball Diaries". When I saw the movie, I couldn't understand the connection at all. True, there's a school shooting scene, but focusing only on that misses the movie's point. The movie is the true story of New York teenager Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) and how he descended into the ugly world of drug addiction. If you're squeamish, then I should warn you that there are some pretty nasty scenes of drug addiction and what happens.

Yes, it's ugly what happens, but that's what makes the movie so good: they're not afraid to get down and dirty. Also starring are Lorraine Bracco as Jim's mother, Mark Wahlberg as Jim's friend, Bruno Kirby as the high school coach, Juliette Lewis as an acquaintance, and Ernie Hudson as a man who saves Jim from dying out in the cold.

Like I said, this is not a movie for the fainthearted. But otherwise, I truly recommend it.

There is a type of disease associated with St. Vitus and this film qualifies in the comparison because it's quirky, fast, and it never stops moving. Director Scott Kalvert gives the movie a 'look' that makes the Manhattan of the period when it supposedly takes place, believable.

Leonardo DiCaprio was at his best in the film. His performance is very nuanced and in your face, at the same time. Mr. DiCaprio makes you feel the pain Jim is going through; he is a lost soul. Not being a fan of Mark Wahlberg, I must confess that in this film, be it because of the direction, or whatever, he shines, as Mickey.

As Jim's mother, Lorraine Bracco has never been better in anything she has been in recent memory. Bruno Kirby is perfectly creepy as the coach of St. Vitus High School.

As far as the connection with the Columbine School massacre, since the sequence where Jim is involved is a dream, it's easy to understand how the twisted minds of the ones responsible for the killings would have taken this scene as a model for their terrible crime.

The Basketball Diaries is the story of the true experiences of Jim Carroll, underground poet and entertainer, and how he overcame drug addiction to become what he is today. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the role of Carroll. The film is not for the squeamish and it has the best drug withdrawal scenes since Frank Sinatra did Man With The Golden Arm.

We first meet Leo with his friends Mark Wahlberg, Patrick McGaw, and James Maddio as a group of delinquent Catholic school kids. They all play basketball and they all are constantly in trouble. DiCaprio is your kid with all the teen angst and self conscious about his lower class status. His mother, Lorraine Bracco, works as a chambermaid in some swank Manhattan hotel and I'm sure she parts with some big bucks to see her kid gets a Catholic school education. There's no father in the picture.

But drugs of all kinds are available and the whole group of them get hooked with the exception of McGaw who breaks with his friends. The title is based on the notebook diary writings that DiCaprio keeps. Eventually they're published and Carroll is acclaimed and still today as a writer who speaks to young people today.

Leo and the rest of the cast give some terrific performances. It's easy to see why he and Mark Wahlberg became the stars they have with this film. Also Bruno Kirby as the closeted gay basketball coach who misreads DiCaprio's mind and comes on to him is also a standout.

The Basketball Diaries hopefully if seen by some of the young will serve as a 'scared straight' guide to saying no to drugs. This film really does show the horrible consequences of a destructive drug habit and the fact it can be beaten and one can live a most useful life.

An uncompromising script and a solid performance from Leonardo Di Caprio help make THE BASKETBALL DIARIES a powerful and memorable film experience. Leo plays Jim Carroll, a high school student with a love of basketball and a flare for writing whose life goes right down the toilet when he becomes a heroine addict. Yes, perhaps Leo gets hooked a little too quickly but everything that happens to him after he gets hooked is totally real. Along with CLEAN AND SOBER, this movie so clearly and honestly demonstrates where drug addiction can take you...how nothing else becomes important but how and where that next high is coming from. There is one harrowing scene after another here. We see Jim returning to his mother (Lorraine Bracco) after being kicked out of the house and we see Jim turn from begging child to threatening thug in a matter of seconds, a scene brilliantly performed by DiCaprio. We see Jim and his friends beat up an old lady for her purse and we even see Jim prostitute himself with a man in order to get money. It's a frightening and realistic spiral downward that Jim takes and he does make it back, but it is important to remember when watching this film that a lot don't. DiCaprio gets solid support from future star Mark Wahlberg, Bruno Kirby, Jr., Juliette Lewis, and Michael Imperioli. A harrowing film experience that will not be forgotten once the credits roll.

This is a very good depressing movie. But, you can't make a good anti-drug movie without making it depressing. DiCaprio is brilliant. Arnie from What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Richard from The Beach, and Jim Carroll from the Basketball Diaries are about Leo's deepest characters. He is an excellent actor. The scenes that get you the most are the withdrawal scenes, and everytime he confronts his mother in the movie. This movie deserves a 10