The film is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into. He finally manages to sell his painting to a wealthy female admirer, but he's paid by check. Low on cash, he spends the evening wandering from club to club, looking for a beautiful girl he h... (Full plot summary below)
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The film is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into. He finally manages to sell his painting to a wealthy female admirer, but he's paid by check. Low on cash, he spends the evening wandering from club to club, looking for a beautiful girl he had met earlier, so he'll have a place to spend the night. Downtown 81 not only captures one of the most interesting and lively artists of the twentieth century as he is poised for fame, but it is a slice of life from one of the most exciting periods in American culture, with the emergence of new wave music, new painting, hip hop and graffiti.
Leave your thoughts about Downtown '81.
| Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyA crudely poetic inventory of the people and places about to rock pop culture. |
| BlackFilm.comWilson MoralesIt's not a great film, but rather disjointed as nothing really makes sense. But considering this is the only glimpse one would ever see of Basquiat before he was discovered by Andy Warhol, this film is somewhat of a masterpiece. |
| L.A. WeeklyErnest HardyPoignant, funny, and proof of Basquiat's magic. |
| Slant MagazineMichael Joshua RowinThis time capsule of bohemian New York distorts its representation of the city for reasons more loving than lazy. |
| Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleIts bygone-ness still abuzz with creativity and movement, Downtown 81 is a celluloid scrapbook that we can all be thankful for in helping capture the rumble before takeoff. |
| VarietyBrendan KellyExtraordinary real-life snapshot of hip, arty, clubland Manhattan in the post-punk era. |
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzInvaluable because it catches the sights, sounds and moods of a city that are of a bygone era. |
| Film Journal InternationalDoris ToumarkineA paean to funky neighborhoods before gentrification and gritty, neon-flecked streets before SUVs. |
| Village VoiceJ. HobermanDoesn't dawdle and, despite some eye-rolling dialogue, is a generally amiable time-trip. |
| Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerMakes a great time capsule, a shot-on-the-streets glimpse into the texture of a bygone time, place and attitude, but a listless, lightweight odyssey. |
