The Basketball Diaries (1995) Movie Synopsis Starring Leonardo DiCaprio
The Basketball Diaries is based on the 1978 book of the same title and is about the dynamic life of Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio). Jim is your everyday teenager who has a gift for both basketball as well as poetry. The basketball team is by far the best in their division and many of the players are being scouted to play college ball. The film does a great job showing how although the boys enjoy the game they dont enjoy their school or coach but they are very interested in their inner city surroundings.
As the story follows the lives of Jim, Pedro (James Madio) and Mickey (Mark Wahlberg) it is evident just how quickly the lives of curious teenagers can change and fall apart. When Jim and his buddies get together with a couple of young ladies they are introduced to the interesting and destructive world of drug use. It doesn’t take long for them to become overtaken by heroin thus beginning the downward spiral of their lives. The physical and emotional roller coaster of drug use that the boys are taken on is depicted quite well by Scott Kalvert’s use of creative visual effects.
As the drugs take over, the boys quickly learn that they need money to support their addiction. The reality of this situation and what the boys do is quite real and sad. They start with robbing elderly women and eventually move to breaking into businesses. Eventually robbery doesn’t pay the bills so Jim turns to prostitution to get just enough for his next high. The journey that the film takes the viewer on makes the situation feel that much more real.
Jim ends up getting thrown out on the street by his mom (Lorraine Bracco) when she realizes that he is out of control. With nowhere to go Jim’s mental and physical abilities take a drastic turn for the worse. Jim hits his low when he is found lying unconscious in the snow on a neighborhood basketball court where he is rescued by an old friend named Reggie (Ernie Hudson) who takes him in during his detoxification. Jim’s journey through detox is quite long and detailed as Kalvert attempted to show just how real the process is. The film turns slightly optimistic at the end when we discover that Jim turns his life around and now speaks of his experience.
The Basketball Diaries is a very real depiction of the life of Jim Carroll and the horrifying world of drug use. Some might argue that the message of “drugs are bad” is a bit too in your face in this film but remember the experiences are detailed right from Jim’s experiences. This film would be a good one to watch with older teenagers to start a discussion about the realities of drug use. Leonardo DiCaprio is exceptional in The Basketball Diaries and the film was a great launching pad for the acting success that was to follow.
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