Cheap Basquiat (Video) (Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro) (Julian Schnabel) Price

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Customer Reviews of Basquiat

After watching it, I wouldn't mind learning more about the real Basquiat as all biopics take their poetic liberties, but to be honest I don't particularly care how factually accurate this film really is, or how good Basquiat's work may or may not have been.

That's because this film simply SHINES and stands on its own as a celebration of true artists everywhere and at any time, famous or obscure.

Just about every character is superb, from Wright to Oldman, Bowie, Del Toro, Walken, and especially the drop-dead, knock-out gorgeous Clare Forlani. The cinematography is beautiful (makes you want to move to NYC, 9/11 be damned), the music is perfectly chosen, the dialogue flows and crackles effortlessly.

To those who disliked this film because they dislike Wright's character, who dislike the film's lack of a simplistic plot structure, who (perhaps understandably) dislike modern art and late 20th century art scene---I say, go out and rent some kitschy piece of [junk] like "The English Patient!" This film is really not so much about Basquiat but about art and artists, the best of which tend to be gloriously AMORAL and ANARCHISTIC. *Not* clean, cutesy, predictable or "respectable."

Jeffrey Wright is Basquiat
Featuring an outstanding numberof actors from Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Willem Defoe to David Bowie - who plays a just as convincing Andy Warhol, as Wright does Basquiat. The movie begins as a young Jean-Michel Basquiat witnesses a painting of some sort on a wall. Basquiat's mother (I presume) begins to cry, but then she looks down at Basquiat who is smiling as we see an image of a halo or a crown. Maybe this is a prelude of what is about to come for her young son? Throughout the film we see various images of a surfer surfing the ocean. This can relate to a young up-and-coming artist in Basquiat who climbs the latter of success; rides the waves, and of course we see his perpetual and painfull downfall. He learns many things along the way, especially that success comes with a price. He can never shake the negative reviews that he was "Warhol's hanger-on," or a "Graffiti writer." We never really know what's going on in Basquiat's head or what's fueling his artistic fire, and why he flirts with danger. By the time that we make a pretty good asumption, again we see the image of the surfer surfing the ocean, only this time he falls and is swallowed by the waves. A lot of questions left unanswered, but this won't matter because with such an oustanding cast - it covers any holes that this film may have. Great soundtrack, opening song by Bowie, and is that Isabella Rosselini in the art gallery as Basquiat looks through the glass?

abysmal twaddle about egocentric junkies
Good performances can't save this self-indulgent tale of yet another artist whose out of control ego is supposed to be interesting to the viewer. Even the scenes of his "creative process" are meaningless, and no better than watching a wall being defaced by spray paint; somehow we are made to assume Basquiat is an inventive genius, when what the screen shows us is a man who has no respect for anyone (for instance, there is a scene where he goes to a lovely home for dinner, and urinates in the hallway), no gratitude to those who help him become famous, and is more interested in self-promotion than art.

It has a stellar cast of character actors, among them David Bowie, who shines as Andy Warhol (and is sporting one of Warhol's actual wigs), and Gary Oldman as "Albert Milo", which is an alias for artist and writer/director of this film, Julian Schnabel, and uses Schnabel's paintings, including one he made for Basquiat (the one he shows Jeffrey Wright/Basquiat saying he painted it for a friend who died).
The reproductions of Basquiat's work were also done by Schnabel.

Will Basquiat's work be known 100 years from now ? I doubt it; though it is lauded now, I believe time will reveal it to be no more than glorified graffiti.
For superior films on other self-obsessed, but far better artists, see "Pollock" or "Surviving Picasso", for a humorless depiction of substance abusing bores, an aimless script, and jumpy editing, this is your film. Total running time 1 hour and 46 minutes.