Review of The Basketball Diaries (1995) by Justin M — 31 Jan 2010

I am giving this film four stars, but admittedly it is difficult to be objective about it. I watched this movie obsessively when I was younger. As a teenage boy who was just learning about drugs and alcohol, this film was a mesmerizing treat for me. Lots of trippy drug sequences and cool rock music. As a teenage boy who was attracted to other teenage boys, this film was a sweaty jerk-off fantasy. Lots of hot young semi-naked guys playing basketball, Leo DiCaprio's butt, Mark Wahlberg, need I say more?

In recent years, I have rewatched the movie and it seemed rather sordid and depressing to me. The drug scenes still made me want to go on a coke binge, the boys still made me want to jack off on a rooftop. But I noticed an overwhelming aura of sadness that blanketed the film, which I had not picked up on in my youth. But perhaps that's appropriate. Irresponsible drug use and risky behavior is truly not glamorous, and neither is this movie. DiCaprio delivers a tour-de-force performance, the scene where he is screaming & crying at his mother's door will stick with you long after the film has ended.

So just watch it. If the drug use in the film looks fun to you, you haven't really been down the dark road of drug addiction yet. If the guys in the film don't look hot to you, you don't like men.