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The Basketball Diaries (1995)
A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
The film primarily focuses on an individual's descent into drug addiction and their personal journey towards redemption, emphasizing individual responsibility and willpower as the solution rather than systemic societal factors.
The movie features primarily traditional casting, aligning with its source material and setting, without intentional race or gender swaps of established roles. Its narrative centers on individual struggles with addiction and institutional failures, rather than offering a critique of traditional identities or explicitly incorporating DEI themes.
The film depicts LGBTQ+ individuals primarily in negative contexts, including a predatory encounter and homophobic violence perpetrated by the protagonists. These instances contribute to the bleak portrayal of the characters' moral decay and the harsh urban environment, without offering any affirming or counterbalancing perspectives on queer identity.
The film includes a brief, problematic depiction of a transsexual character. This character, a sex worker, is subjected to a violent assault and derogatory slurs by the protagonists. The portrayal lacks dignity or complexity, contributing to a negative and stereotypical representation without counterbalance or critique within the narrative.
The film depicts Catholic institutions and some of its figures as hypocritical, abusive, and ultimately failing to provide moral guidance. It highlights the negative impact of these institutions on the protagonist and his peers, contributing to their disillusionment and struggles. The narrative aligns with the protagonist's critical view of these religious authorities.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film adapts Jim Carroll's autobiographical novel. All major characters, including Jim Carroll and his friends, maintain the same gender as established in the source material. No instances of a character canonically established as one gender being portrayed as another are present.
The film is an adaptation of Jim Carroll's autobiographical novel. All major characters, including the real-life author, are portrayed by actors whose race aligns with their established depiction in the source material or historical record.
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources






















