A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
Vincent Pastore
- Construction Worker
- (as Vinnie Pastore)
Alexander Chaplin
- Bobo
- (as Alexander Gaberman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJim Carroll: Writer and subject of the movie, the guy Jim talks to in the underground drug den.
- GoofsAfter Jim rejects Swifty's advance and shoves him to the wall, the amount and position of the blood on Swifty's face changes in subsequent shots.
- Quotes
Jim Carroll: You're growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it's good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies... so we can dance.
- Alternate versionsUncut for UK cinemas, it was previously cut by 47 seconds by the distributor. The cuts were to the dream sequence where kids are shot in school, which was removed by the distributor in response to the Dunblane massacre. Passed uncut with an 18 rating in 2000.
- SoundtracksCatholic Boy
Written by Jim Carroll
Performed by Jim Carroll with Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam appears courtesy of Epic Records
Featured review
DeCaprio Was Brilliant
It pisses me off when people say that 'Basketball Diaries' is a rip-off of 'Requiem for a Dream.' The stupidity of the uneducated. It was interesting though seeing the similarities to both films, but that is besides the point.
I was one of those people who thought that Leonardo DeCaprio was just a washed up 'Teen Beat' cover boy. All of that because of 'Titanic.' I really hate to admit that now that I have seen the majority of his work. The first time I really began changing my mind was in 2002 when he starred in both 'Gangs of New York' and 'Catch Me if You Can.' What got me thinking is that both Scorsese and Spielberg aren't the type of directors to hire an actor just because they have a teenage fanbase and also, DeCaprio's performances in both were excellent.
But, it wasn't until recently that I changed my mind completely and realized just how much of an under-appreciated actor he is. He has done films like 'The Beach,' 'Basketball Diaries,' and more, all of which received high acclaim, but because of 'Titanic,' people won't give him a seconds glance. And he was great in 'Titanic.'
Honestly, I doubt that there is any other actor out there who could've done a better job as Jim Carrol. Hell, even Mark Whalberg did a great job. He is another under-appreciated actor.
If you are one of the many people who say that they won't see 'Basketball Diaries' because of Leo, don't be so judgmental. He made the movie so wonderful. It is an excellent film and he is an excellent actor.
9/10
I was one of those people who thought that Leonardo DeCaprio was just a washed up 'Teen Beat' cover boy. All of that because of 'Titanic.' I really hate to admit that now that I have seen the majority of his work. The first time I really began changing my mind was in 2002 when he starred in both 'Gangs of New York' and 'Catch Me if You Can.' What got me thinking is that both Scorsese and Spielberg aren't the type of directors to hire an actor just because they have a teenage fanbase and also, DeCaprio's performances in both were excellent.
But, it wasn't until recently that I changed my mind completely and realized just how much of an under-appreciated actor he is. He has done films like 'The Beach,' 'Basketball Diaries,' and more, all of which received high acclaim, but because of 'Titanic,' people won't give him a seconds glance. And he was great in 'Titanic.'
Honestly, I doubt that there is any other actor out there who could've done a better job as Jim Carrol. Hell, even Mark Whalberg did a great job. He is another under-appreciated actor.
If you are one of the many people who say that they won't see 'Basketball Diaries' because of Leo, don't be so judgmental. He made the movie so wonderful. It is an excellent film and he is an excellent actor.
9/10
- DigitalPhreaker
- Jul 5, 2004
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Streets of New York
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,381,087
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $765,335
- Apr 23, 1995
- Gross worldwide
- $2,402,438
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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