Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 26, 2005 | | Summary | Raises expecations but doesn't deliver | Content
 | First of all, the cast is excellent and the acting is very good. David Bowie is suprisingly good as Andy Warhol, and Jeffrey Wright is a standout as Basquiat. This film does a very nice job placing the artist in the context of the art scene at that time and does a fair job making you care. Ultimately, one of those movies that makes you say..."Oh, that was okay, but...ehh." |
| Rating | | | Date | April 17, 2005 | | Summary | A Wasted Life... | Content
| and nothing much to show for it is all we get here. The acting is good, but the story is awful -- such talent trapped in such a lost, damaged personality. Successful people all around him and no one seems plugged-in enough to do anything for him.
Seeing David Bowie play Andy Warhol gave me a strange sense of cognitive dissonance - so many layers of pop culture woven into one very good performance. The problem is that this film makes hanging out with Andy Warhol look mundane and trashy. Money and fame apparently can't give you substance, and contrary to popular opinion, they don't make you interesting. Basquiat ultimately comes off as a self-indulgent brat who had the world handed to him and was too stoned to know it. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 15, 2005 | | Summary | Indulgent Snooze Fest | Content
| Biopics about artists and writers are tough to pull off. Some, like "Pollock" and "Frida," are qualified successes (*** for Pollock, **** for Frida). Some, like "Before Night Falls" about the Cuban poet Arenas actually take off; it's a ***** film. "Sylvia" falls flat (** for this film) because it captures the poet's depression but not her vitality and quotes far too little of her work, the raison d'etre of the movie itself!
"Basquiat," like "Frida" does show plenty of the visual artist's thoughtful intelligent graffiti-style art and David Bowie has a nice turn as pop artist Andy Warhol. Trouble is: Basquiat comes off as boring, pretentious, spoiled, and self-indulgent; in short UNLIKEABLE. It's a similar problem in "Total Eclipse," a Holland film and Leo DiCaprio vehicle about the French lyric poets Rimbaud and Verlaine.
I love biopics and I love visual artists, poets, and writers. Folks, they've been screwing them up lately! Here's a few rules for future cine-biographers: 1. Give us PLENTY of the artist's work 2. Show the vitality, charisma, and humor behind every creative personality at least as often as the depression and addiction which often attends such lives 3. Avoid at all costs being boring; we remember these people because they're interesting! More films like "Finding Neverland" (****, about writer J.M. Barrie) and "De-lovely" (****, about songwriter Cole Porter) please. "Il Postino" is a great example of a film soaked in an artist's work (Chilean poet Pablo Neruda) that could be a great template for a Neruda bio-pic. As for "Basquiat," more painting and less heroin please. Thanks. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 22, 2004 | | Summary | Rocking Van Gogh's Fantastic Boat Across Grafitti Oceans- - | Content
| A few moons ago I was head-over heels, totally enamoured, positively smitten, and, yes, well, semi-*obsessed*, in the ilk of certain *artsy* somewhat self-destructive early twenty-somethings suffering from the underrated, understated,yet absolutely truthful, *quarter life crisis*, with this film. Although it's been a few years since I escaped adolescence, during the aforementioned *quarter life crisis* I acquired a sort of adolescent-like affinity for "Basquiat", and just about everything related to the film-- from the awesome soundtrack to the spectacular artwork-- yet especially for the mythos surrounding the remarkable, fascinating, and elusive painter himself. Not much is known about Basquiat, which must render any attempt at a filmatic portrayal of him much more difficult and tricky, than, say, a portrayal of Andy Warhol (about whom we know quite a bit, one crucial reason being that his approach to art and art culture was far more flamboyant and forward than his *graffiti pupil*, as I've heard him called). Julian Schnabel yields a double-edged filmatic sword with "Basquiat": on one hand, he portrays the spirit, inner turmoil, passion, vulnerability, intensity, and the dionysian excesses of the painter with incredibly astute, intuitive, and keen vision. On the other hand, "Basquiat" is an impressive piece of art in itself. It stands out as a great film, again, in itself; that is to say, if we examine it on its own, apart from the genre of *biography*, and embrace the adage of *ars gratia artis*, we'll recognize its astounding and unique attributes. Those who are unfamiliar with Basquiat or even those who dislike Basquiat as a person or as an artist, will likely appreciate many of the purely filmatic aspects of this film; for instance, its superb technical and cinematographic devices. Some film afficionados focus exclusively on these aspects of a film; *Felini buffs*, for example :). However, if you, like myself, enjoy a excellently well-crafted biopic, then "Basquiat" more than qualifies. Schnabel effectively and convincingly carries the viewer through Jean Michel's series of maelstrom-like transitions, from his modest-cardboard-box-in the-park-as-home beginnings to the shock of his almost instant fame, to his awkward semi-immersion into the art world, and, ultimately, to his self-inflicted demise. Perhaps for some Basquiat is not the most endearing or easily identifiable character; however, even if a viewer cannot empathize with him, s/he will likely at least admire the delicate, incisive, and sensitive manner in which the director portrays the subject of his film. I find Basquiat, as Schnabel represents him, to be a remarkable, enigmatic, and fascinating individual. Without resorting to the tired old cliches of the tortured, isolated, misunderstood artist, aimlessly adrift on Van Gogh's boat (a paraphrase, which I hope I haven't butchered too badly, from the beginning of the film), Basquiat was a phenomenal artist, and seems to have been an intriguing person. If this is the case, then Jeffrey Wright portrays him brilliantly; he has a really special keenness of perception regarding the character he is playing. The people in Basquiat's life are also portrayed exceptionally well (of course, it doesn't hurt that the cast is comprised of exceptional actors). Some of the most memorable interactions in the film involve Jean Michel's introduction to Andy Warhol (David Bowie would have charmed Warhol's flouncy pants off with his portrayal of him; he's sensational as the pop-star-pop-artist), the initial mentor/pupil relationship, and their eventual friendship. There are many outstanding scenes involving Basquiat's frenzied, tumultuous relationship with his present-estranged-present-estranged girlfriend (Claire Forlani is excellent in this role; she has a particular manner of suffering and sorrowing on screen which radiates a vulnerable, fragile, and innocent sort of beauty). There are also quite a few memorable interactions between "Benny" (Jean Michel's drugged-out, slouchy, misguided, yet absolutely loyal friend, wonderfully portrayed by Benicio del Toro) and Basquiat. The final scene in the film, when "Benny" rescues a moribund Jean Michel from the gutter to which it seems he has ventured to die in semi-conscious despair, after learning of Warhol's death, is one of the most powerful I've ever seen on screen. I'm sure I've rambled on enough about this film. . . I guess I feel as strongly about it now as I did during that *quarter-life crisis* a few moons ago, during which I sometimes even *evaluated* potential suitors by their reactions to the film. . . (!). There are a few rare films which leave such an intensely personal and indelible impression on a person's pscyhe, that (s)he may begin to feel like they belong in the film, as an honorary character, or at least as an extra. "Basquiat" is definitely one of these films, at least for yours truly. I wish I were some sort of digital mutant, so that I could give it, oh, twelve most enthusiastic thumbs up :). |
| Rating | | | Date | November 18, 2004 | | Summary | As a fan of films and art...I'm Inspired! | Content
| Whether or not you like the work of Basquiat (or art in general, for that matter) this is a very enjoyable film. This true story of a street bum turned hot NYC artist is both heartfelt and raw. And what a cast! Jeffrey Wright, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Hopper, David Bowie, Parker Posey, plus cameos by Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Tatum O'Neal, Courtney Love, and many others make up this very talented and diverse group of actors. Let it be known that the people who are in this movie made very little money, therfore, they WANTED to be in this movie. They were passionate about the story and the life of Basquiat, and it shows through their performances. Jeffrey Wright is absolutely unforgettable as Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Bowie as Andy Warhol is hysterical and amazing. The film captures the essence of Basquiat - as an artist, as a person. The film has the main character tackling issues dealing with racism, relationships, success, failure, optimism, and loss. This is one DVD that will not collect dust in your collection. |
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