½,
Modern artist Jean-Michel Basquiat rises to fame with the help of Andy Warhol.
This film bolsters its indie kudos by including cameos from about every actor on the indie scene at the time, including Christopher Walken, Tatum O',Neal, Courtney Love, and Parker Posey. However, though the names in the cast are as good as they get, the film is not. There are so many unanswered questions, like what is it that makes Basquiat',s art unique. We see many people praising his work, but the work doesn',t speak for itself, like Jackson Pollock for example, and there aren',t any moments that allow us to see what cultural or artistic vein Basquiat has tapped into. Thus, his insouciance toward the artistic process reminds me of Thierry Guetta from Exit through the Gift Shop, who emerges from that film looking like a first-class douche. Also, what could a beautiful, seemingly intelligent woman like Gina see in Basquiat? Their courtship and the end of their relationships are glossed over, and it seems like the brilliant Claire Forlani is under-used simply to fill the role of the supportive girlfriend that all films like this are required to have.
Overall, I liked the beginning, the first ten minutes or so, but the rest of the film leaves me knowing nothing new about Basquiat or why I should care.
Post-Script: the design of the Diet Pepsi can in the film didn',t come out until after the film',s events took place.
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