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Film Analysis: The Basketball Diaries
“First, it's a Saturday night thing when you feel cool like a gangster or a rockstar- just
something to kill the boredom, you know? They call it a chippie, a small habit. It feels so
good, you start doing it on Tuesdays... then Thursdays... then it's got you. Every wise ass
punk on the block says it won't happen to them, but it does.”
Jim Carroll just wanted to “kill boredom” Unfortunately, the boredom almost killed him.
The Basketball Diaries is a tale about a young and New York high school student, Jim
Carroll, whose drug addiction unleashed a series of events and poor decisions, almost
costing him his life. Later adapted into a movie, the story depicts the consequences of drug
abuse and bad company. Jim Carroll, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, was a talented
basketball player with a promising future. Unfortunately, no one is safe from the dangers
of drug use, and Jim Carroll learned this the hard way.
The director of the movie, Scott Kalvert, succeeds at portraying what Jim Carroll thinks
and feels not only through his actions and narratives, but also through continuous dialogue
with his friends. His three main peers, Pedro, Neutron and Mickey are accomplices in
Jim’s adventures of getting high and messing around in the streets. However, Neutron is
slightly more aware of the consequences and despite the fun that they have together, he is
focused on his future as a student and as a basketball player. He cares about Jim, at times
trying to warn him about his drug abuse and how it will affect his performance. Mickey, on
the other hand, is completely reckless in his actions, completely disregarding other
people’s feelings and opinions. He enjoys beating up on people verbally and physically,
and pretty much anything that causes trouble. Pedro is just tagging along for the ride with a
neutral and indifferent attitude towards what each of them do and the possible
consequences. I would argue that Mickey and Neutron are two polar opposites and Jim, at
first, is stuck in the middle. Despite this emotional and ethical tug of war in Jim’s head, he
unfortunately leans towards Mickey’s side, and things go downhill from there. Overall, the
secondary characters are well developed because they all have an influence in Jim’s life to
some extent, whether good or bad. The drug use in the film is fairly graphic, but this helps
emphasize the severity of Jim’s drug problem in a powerful way. Another thing that the
