X
  • 1996
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 47 m
  • 1996
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 47 m

Summary Basquiat chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of the gifted and charismatic young New York artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as he emerged from the streets of the East Village to become an internationally renowned sensation. (BV Entertainment)

Directed By: Julian Schnabel

Written By: Lech Majewski, John Bowe, Michael Holman, Julian Schnabel

  • 1996
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 47 m
  • 1996
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 47 m

Basquiat

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 20 Critic Reviews
65
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 19 User Ratings
6.6
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary Basquiat chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of the gifted and charismatic young New York artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as he emerged from the streets of the East Village to become an internationally renowned sensation. (BV Entertainment)

Directed By: Julian Schnabel

Written By: Lech Majewski, John Bowe, Michael Holman, Julian Schnabel

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 20 Critic Reviews
65
70% Positive
14 Reviews
20% Mixed
4 Reviews
10% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 20 Critic Reviews
65
70% Positive
14 Reviews
20% Mixed
4 Reviews
10% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Most movies stress the agony of art (think of Kirk Douglas' Van Gogh in "Lust for Life"). Schnabel's exceptional film honors his friend by showing the act of creation as a natural high.
By Peter Travers FULL REVIEW
80
It's also quite energetic -- 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.
By Jonathan Rosenbaum FULL REVIEW
75
Written and directed by Julian Schnabel, himself a gifted painter, this is one of the rare art-world movies that succeeds as both human drama and visual artistry.
By David Sterritt FULL REVIEW
70
But the film, written and directed by fellow artist Julian Schnabel, is so tender in its affections, these omissions and poetic licenses seem like the embellishments of a good friend.
By Desson Thomson FULL REVIEW
63
According to Schnabel, the movie is intended to celebrate the man's life, not to mourn his death, so Basquiat's last days are not shown. It's one of many miscalculations made by the director, because, when the end credits roll, we're left without a sense of closure.
By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW
50
Despite the movie's suffocating sense of chic Soho hipness, it touches on all the square cliches about the tragic life of the misunderstood artist.
By Hal Hinson FULL REVIEW
25
Schnabel can't decide whether he wants to tell a traditional rise-and-fall morality tale or make an art film. His attempt at telling Basquiat's story straightforwardly collapses under its own banality.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 19 User Ratings
6.6
53% Positive
10 Ratings
42% Mixed
8 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 19 User Ratings
6.6
53% Positive
10 Ratings
42% Mixed
8 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Eleventh Street Production, Jon Kilik, Miramax
Release Date Aug 9, 1996
Duration 1 h 47 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline In 1981, A Nineteen-Year-Old Unknown Graffiti Writer Took The New York Art World By Storm. The Rest Is Art History.
View All Details

Awards

Film Independent Spirit Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Venice Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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