Basquiat is a 1996 biopic film centering on Jean-Michel Basquiat, a prolific yet troubled artist who lived from 1960 to 1988.note It is the first film directed by painter Julian Schnabel, who knew Basquiat personally.
Over the course of the film Jean-Michel (then unknown Jeffrey Wright) works odd jobs and hangs out with best friend Benny Dalmau (Benicio del Toro) and girlfriend Gina Cardinale (Claire Forlani). All the time he is compulsively working on his art and Waiting for a Break. The break comes first when he’s discovered by art critic Rene Ricard (Michael Wincott), and even more so when art superstar Andy Warhol (longtime Warhol fan David Bowie) takes him under his wing. That doesn’t mean that Basquiat’s troubles are over, though.
The film’s cast also includes Dennis Hopper, Parker Posey, Gary Oldman, Elina Lowensohn, and Paul Bartel. Making brief appearances are Willem Dafoe, Courtney Love, Tatum O'Neal, and of course Christopher Walken, as well as Sam Rockwell as a street thug who beats Jean-Michel. John Cale oversaw the music score and his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” plays over the end credits.
Tropes:
- The '80s: The film covers Basquiat’s rise and fall, which all took place for a few years in that decade, and that’s reflected in the film’s look.
- Author Avatar: Albert Milo, the successful artist played by Gary Oldman, is a fictional stand-in for Schnabel. Schnabel’s daughter Esther even plays Milo’s daughter with the same given name.
- Big Applesauce: Like most of Basquiat’s life (he was born in Brooklyn) the entire film takes place in New York City. Given some of the things that happen on the street it also borders on Big Rotten Apple.
- Camp Gay: Rene Ricard is flamboyant and given to saying things like “When it comes to me and mounting, the rougher the better.” Averted with Andy Warhol.
- Drugs Are Bad: Through most of the film Jean-Michel smokes, snorts, and shoots anything he can get his hands on. He ODs at one point in the film and Gina arrives just in time to revive him. Later on he gets clean, but a "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue title card informs the viewer that he died by drug use in 1988.
- The Ghost: While Walken’s interviewer mentions the fact that Basquiat has dated Madonna, she isn’t depicted in the movie.
- Happier Home Movie: After Andy dies Jean-Michel watches home movies Andy made of the two of them. In an unusual touch Schnabel uses stock footage of the actual Warhol and Basquiat.
- A Minor Kidroduction: The film starts with a young Jean-Michel seeing his mother moved to tears by a Pablo Picasso painting, which is implied to have set him on his path to becoming an artist.
- Parental Substitute: Rene Ricard and Andy Warhol both act as father figures for Jean-Michel, as he’s alienated from his biological father. Andy’s death causes Jean-Michel to break down in much the same way the death of a parent might.
- Speech Impediment: Jean-Michel suffers something like a stutter, tripping over his words at several dramatic points.
- Starving Artist: Rene Ricard writes in his journal about the potential of finding a great artist living in poverty a la Vincent van Gogh. Jean-Michel, who comes from an upper middle class family, is destitute by choice at the start of the film.
