# The Basketball Diaries (1995)

> A gifted New York teenager's basketball dreams unravel into heroin addiction before an older friend helps him search for a way back.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/5551

## Facts

- Runtime: 102 min
- Genres: Drama, Crime
- Director: Scott Kalvert
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Ernie Hudson, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Mark Wahlberg, Barton Heyman
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112461/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: harrowing, intimate, melancholic, serious movie night, social issue drama viewing

## Synopsis

A gripping tale of ambition and addiction set against the backdrop of New York's gritty streets.

## Movies like The Basketball Diaries

- [Hoop Dreams (1994)](https://ember.film/movie/8421)
- [Twelve (2010)](https://ember.film/movie/25937)
- [Juice (1992)](https://ember.film/movie/9730)
- [Gangs of New York (2002)](https://ember.film/movie/2075)
- [Deuces Wild (2002)](https://ember.film/movie/7609)
- [Lords of Dogtown (2005)](https://ember.film/movie/4945)
- [A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)](https://ember.film/movie/3973)
- [A Bronx Tale (1993)](https://ember.film/movie/1056)
- [Above the Rim (1994)](https://ember.film/movie/11547)
- [Somewhere in Queens (2023)](https://ember.film/movie/591094)

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