The Basketball Diaries

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.

A bleak, potent depiction of a young man trying to grasp the pain of life. Teen angst isn't romanticized or melodramatic in this film. It's brutal and agonizing and tragic. DiCaprio's mere presence makes the film compelling - his intense, passionate performance is among his best. He's nuanced, fierce and startlingly believable all at once. This isn't standard storytelling. This is a crushingly real, violent and honest movie with a lot to say. Young DiCaprio prostitutes himself at public male restrooms for money to buy drugs. It's a coming-of-age story like no other... one of my all time favorites.