The Basketball Diaries (1995)
- Starring:
- Jimmy Papiris, Leonardo DiCaprio, (more)
- Director(s):
- Scott Kalvert
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
- Category:
- Drama
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Very loosely based on the memoir of the same name, The Basketball Diaries transposes the late '60s adolescence of writer/artist Jim Carroll to some unspecified time period at least 15 years later, further confusing the timeframe with three decades of rock music, some by Carroll himself. Jim (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his Catholic school chums are on the hottest basketball team in New York, but their friend Bobby (Michael Imperioli) languishes in the hospital with leukemia. In-between typically boyish adventures, Jim scribbles in his notebook and experiments with sex and drugs. His group of friends begins to disintegrate after coach Swifty (Bruno Kirby) not only makes a pass at Jim, but also catches him and his pals using drugs on the court and kicks them off the team. Out of school and on the streets, Jim turns tricks, betrays friends, robs stores, and deals drugs to feed his heroin addiction. Not even the efforts of former addict Reggie (Ernie Hudson) can cure Jim. Mark Wahlberg appears as one of Jim's basketball and drug buddies, while Carroll himself makes a memorable cameo as an addict who describes the almost Catholic rituals of shooting heroin. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 102 mins
Complete Cast:
- Leonardo DiCaprio - Jim Carroll
- Bruno Kirby - Swifty
- Lorraine Bracco - Jim's Mother
- Ernie Hudson - Reggie Porter
- Patrick McGaw - Neutron
- Juliette Lewis - Diane Moody
- Brittany Daniel - Blinkie
- Joyce R. Korbin - Mugging Victim
- Gary Iorio - Policeman
- John Hoyt - Billy the Bartender
- Tom Fitzpatrick - Subway John
- Manny Alfaro - Manny
- Michael Rapaport - Skinhead
- Roy Cooper - Father McNulty
- Mark Wahlberg - Mickey
- Josh Mostel - Counterman
- James Madio - Pedro
- Michael Imperioli - Bobby
- Jimmy Papiris - Iggy
- Nick Gaetani - Referee
- Alexander Gaberman - Bobo
- Ben Jorgensen - Tommy
- Akiko Ashley - Stripper
- Cynthia Daniel - Winkie
- Erik "Panther" Betts - Drug Dealer #1
- Lawrence Barth - Referee #2
- Jim Carroll - Frankie Pinewater
- Manny Siverio - Pino
- Vincent Pastore - Construction Worker
- Doc Dougherty - Policeman
- John Vennema - Mr Rubin
- William Webb - Juju Johnson
- Toby Huss - Kenny
- Marilyn Sokol - Chanting Woman
- Barton Heyman - Confessional Priest
- Director(s):
- Scott Kalvert
- Writer(s):
- Bryan Goluboff
- Producer(s):
- Liz Heller, Kathie Hersch, John Bard Manulis
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Not For Children, Adult Situations, Substance Abuse)
- Categories:
- Drama
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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