Basquiat

67%

Tomatometer

30 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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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

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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

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Audience Reviews

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Julian S The cast is stellar, but the film ends abruptly, almost as if Schnabel ran out of steam. Rated 4/5 Stars • 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 was prob. knew the characters pretty well. While the film isn't perfect, I though Jeffrey Wright did an amazing job at portraying Basquiat. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 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 3.5/5 Stars • 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 3/5 Stars • 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 DafoeJeffery Wright's feature debut as he plays graffiti artist Basquiat Taking place in 1979 Basquiat is homeless living in extreme poverty in the big appleHis 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 ideasAin'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 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review steve d well acted but the script isn't great. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Julian Schnabel Director Jeffrey Wright Jean Michel Basquiat Michael Wincott Rene Ricard Benicio del Toro Benny Dalmau Claire Forlani Gina Cardinale David Bowie Andy Warhol

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Basquiat

Basquiat (1996)

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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)