MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Up 58 this week

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

 -  Biography | Crime | Drama  -  21 April 1995 (USA)
7.1
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.1/10 from 51,320 users   Metascore: 46/100
Reviews: 142 user | 34 critic | 19 from Metacritic.com

Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school ... See full summary »

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 964 titles created 10 Mar 2012
 
a list of 2369 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1228 titles created 02 May 2012
 
a list of 184 titles created 18 Dec 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Basketball Diaries (1995)

The Basketball Diaries (1995) on IMDb 7.1/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Basketball Diaries.

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Biography | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars' worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
Invincible (2006)
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.

Director: Ericson Core
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks
Capote (2005)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Truman Capote, during his research for his book In Cold Blood, an account of the murder of a Kansas family, the writer develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers.

Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Allie Mickelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener
Blow (2001)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

The story of George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970s.

Director: Ted Demme
Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente
Biography | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

The story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.

Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
The Hurricane (1999)
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The film follows the surf and skateboarding trends that originated in Venice, California during the 1970's.

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, Heath Ledger
Monster (2003)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.

Director: Patty Jenkins
Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern
Raging Bull (1980)
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
Serpico (1973)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe
Crime | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.

Director: Lexi Alexander
Stars: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Marilyn Sokol ...
...
...
...
Roy Cooper ...
...
Construction Worker (as Vinnie Pastore)
...
Jimmy Papiris ...
Nick Gaetani ...
...
Bobo (as Alexander Gaberman)
Ben Jorgensen ...
...
...
Edit

Storyline

Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity. Written by Mark Fleetwood <mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Every punk on the block says it's not going to happen to them... but it does. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic depiction of drug addiction with related strong violence,sexuality and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

21 April 1995 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Basketball Diaries  »

Box Office

Gross:

$2,424,439 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

|

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

After being nominated for an Oscar for Running on Empty, MTV asked River Phoenix what he wanted to do next. He responded by pulling out a beat up paperback of "The Basketball Diaries" and stated "I wanted to play Jim Carroll." Later, the Los Angeles Times declared, "River Phoenix may have wanted it too much." Leonardo DiCaprio was a fan of Phoenix's. See more »

Goofs

When Jim is playing basketball and explaining how he plays and Pedro steals from the locker rooms, each time there is a point scored you can clearly hear the crowd cheering but visually the crowd is very calm. See more »

Quotes

Jim Carroll: Time sure flies when you're young and jerking off.
See more »

Connections

Featured in 42nd Street: River to River (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"Strawberry Wine"
Written by Salvadore Poe (as Paul DiBartolo), Adam Flax
Performed by Massive Internal Complications
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
A good adaption of a book of the tragic life of Jim Carrol
12 November 2003 | by (Chicago, Illinois) – See all my reviews

May I say, that I was impressed with this movie. It shows the truth of drugs and what they can do to you. After I saw this movie, I went out and found the book and read it. It's more sad then the movie, but still seeing Leonardo's performance is very effective.

Jim Carrol is a high school basketball player who once in a while gets stoned with his friends. But eventually he becomes brutally addicted to the drugs and looses everything he has worked for.

To Leonardo, you did good.

8/10


34 of 56 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Incredibly underrated... If your thinking about watching user-533-952938
Pretty poor mobaljames
Would people pay to 'give' someone a blowjob? Mcice88
First watched this at 14 years old, however don't approve LizPhoenixNikita
Hated it! moonie2011
What would make them jump into a river... ajreal05
Discuss The Basketball Diaries (1995) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page