second viewing of this film. watched in the context of a discussion on institutional theories of art. bowie is hilarious, of course, but walken’s performance & scene really stuck out to me as the highlight of the film: asking if basquiat is a “primitive expressionist” or whether he is exploiting his “ghetto” origins, referencing his own mythical sleeping in a cardboard box in a park—which the film depicts as a choice—are, for me, some of the more obvious, on-the-nose, and frank questions to ask basquiat.
the film is really heavy-handed, not subtle at all. the themes are explicitly stated very early on, and repeated frequently by a multitude of different characters. this, as well as the film’s overall melodramatic obviousness (all the needle drops!!) are points against it…but it’s undeniably a fun watch.