Basquiat
When I sat down to view Basquiat I was anticipating an in-depth film about the burgeoning New York art scene in the early '80s, brought forth by the controversial modern-day Van Gogh, Jean-Michel Basquiat. Much to my dismay, once the closing credits began to roll I found myself pondering the film with a feeling of dissatisfaction, thinking, "That's it? That's supposed to be the life story of an artistic genius?" Some guy who lived in a cardboard box to prove a point (pretty cool), got really big in the art world because he splattered insightful graffiti on the streets of New York, made friendly with a local artist by the name of Andy Warhol (you may have heard of him), and loved to do crack - a lot. It almost made me think that the artist/director Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls) was taking a few hits himself when he evidently forgot to add substance to this film.
Now, before my critical view gets misconstrued, I might add that despite the film's overall failure to meet my expectations, there still are many positive things to note. Schnabel, who was an artist friend of the late Basquiat, exposes the corruption of the art dealers that many artists have to face, touching upon the notion that "artists use God's gift to be free, while dealers use their gift to enslave." But personally, being intrigued by the art world myself, the film could have been done better.
For those of you who are not familiar with Mr. Basquiat (a.k.a. "Samo"), he was one of the first African-American artists to gain credible recognition in the white-dominated art world. At the age of 19, Basquiat began his expressionism with cans of spray paint. What is even cooler about him is that before his drug addiction took the wheel, he produced a rap record, kind-of-sort-of dated Madonna (during her pre-"Borderline" days), and was the youngest artist EVER to be inducted into the Whitney.
Despite the apparent loopholes in the movie's plot -- it jumps around too much and moves way too fast -- my "props" do go to the huge all-star cast in this film. Jeffrey Wright (Shaft) does an outstanding performance as Basquiat, earning himself a Independent Spirit Award nomination for best debut performance in '97. He nails Basquiat's twitchy, child-like demeanor. It's not his fault that the script only scrapes the surface of the character.
Benicio del Toro (Traffic, The Usual Suspects) plays Basquiat's kooky, strung-out comrade in a performance that earned him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor. Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black) is Gina, Basquiat's sweet-yet-na•ve lover. Andy Warhol is played by the one-and-only David Bowie. He's got all of the feeble and whiny Warhol mannerisms down pat, but it's the British accent that gives him away. Bowie ends up looking more like "Bowie" than Warhol, with a glam-rock mop on his head. Courtney Love shows up in a few scenes -- see if you can guess whom she is supposed to be. Other actors to be noted are Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet), Michael Wincott and Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction).
So don't knock this one until you've tried it. As you can see, there's a pro to just about every con that I've found in this film. Jean Michel Basquiat should not be judged by what a director portrayed him as -- but as a fresh young mind who was struggling to read between the lines of reality and imagination.
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There's no sobriety to be found in this film. Check out the scene where a strung-out Benicio del Toro tries pathetically to hit on Basquiat's girl, Gina. Being able to enunciate words would have been a good start.
Despite some flaws, this movie has the potential to be a reliable date flick, although the somber ending of Basquiat's final days may dampen "the mood" somewhat.
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