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Niki Wurster Visit our Movie Scripts Page screenplay 451: http://www.geocities.com/~screenplay451/ Mao Guangqin 2 0 2000-01-22T12:04:00Z 2000-01-22T12:04:00Z 15 15409 87834 Pumpkin Software 731 175 107866 9.2504 1 21 0 0 Basquiat Sc
Jean kisses her neck as she looks at the drawing.
We HOLD on the drawing.
INT. MARY BOONE GALLERY – DAY
White dust sprinkles down onto Jean's face from the ceiling. Unable
to use his hands, he tries to blow the dust out of his eyes...
His boss, GREG, a mild-mannered hippie electrician, works above him on the ladder.
Jean steadies the ladder. Greg's head is out of frame.
The gallery is an impressive space under preparations for an
opening.
GREG
Jean, could you get me a Phillips screwdriver?
BASQUIAT
A what?
GREG
A Phillips head. From the toolbox.
BASQUIAT
Yeah.
Jean searches through the toolbox. He picks up a screwdriver and reads the handle: "CRAFTSMAN"
BASQUIAT (CONT'D)
'Phillips head,' right?
GREG
Yeah.
Jean shakes his head and puts it back. He tries a couple more – they each say "CRAFTSMAN." He puts them back.
Finally, he finds one with a different handle. It says "G.S.C.
2000."
BASQUIAT
You don't have any!!!
GREG
That's impossible. I've got, like, five of 'em!
He comes down off the ladder.
GREG (CONT'D)
You're holding one in your hand!!!
(beat)
You've never done this kind of work before, have you?
(demonstrating)
See, this is a regular screwdriver, and this is a
Phillips head. The cross thing... I'll tell you later what all the tools are so
you'll know.
A GROUP of people arrives.
Albert Milo comes into view, tailed closely by Rene Ricard and MARY BOONE – well dressed,
petite, intense, 30. Milo, (also about 30), wears casual clothes splattered
with paint. Mary Boone is engaged in conversation with Milo. Rene chatters
away.
Greg climbs back up the ladder. He holds a piece of wire down to
Jean. Jean stares at the group while trying to be invisible.
RENE
I need to make a call, Mary. You don't mind, do you?
MARY BOONE
Certainly not. You can use my line.
Rene picks up the phone.
RENE
To Paris. Bernard Picasso –
(to Mary)
You know Bernard –
MARY BOONE
(wincing)
Be my guest.
Jean watches the group talking.
GREG
Jean? Hold this, please.
(beat – he sees why Jean's so distracted)
You'll get there. But it's good to have something to
fall back on. That's why I became an electrician. It pays the rent. Y'know, I'm
an artist, too.
BASQUIAT
I didn't know.
GREG
I sculpt. I'm really just starting to find myself. How
old are you? Twenty? You're just like I used to be. I'm forty-one. And I'm glad
I haven't gotten any recognition. It gave me time to develop.
Jean watches Mary and Milo talking.
MARY BOONE
(to Milo)
I can't tell you how happy I am with this show.
Mary yells across the room to Jean.
MARY BOONE (CONT'D)
(her tone impersonal)
Excuse me – you – what's your name? Would you move
those tools there and put them somewhere else?
He looks at her.
Milo watches to see what he's going to do.
(to Milo)
My name is Jean Michel Basquiat. Have you heard of me?
ALBERT MILO
(amused)
No. Should I have?
BASQUIAT
I'm a painter, too.
ALBERT MILO
Really. Huh. Too bad.
MARY BOONE
Excuse me, would you please move those tools?
Jean looks at Milo. Milo looks back at him.
Jean walks past the tools and continues toward the door. He walks
out without turning around.
Milo smiles to himself.
EXT. BOONE GALLERY – ALBERT MILO OPENING – DUSK
The ART WORLD CROWD fills the gallery. Jean lurks across the street, watching through the
window.
Cabs and limousines line the block. A crowd outside blocks the
street.
Jean's obviously impressed, jealous and estranged – he feels entitled to all this.
He crosses the street to get a closer look.
THROUGH THE WINDOW
He sees Albert Milo talking with ANDY
WARHOL and BRUNO Bischofberger. Andy, of course, is thin, silver-haired, and nearly albino. Bruno is
a Swiss art dealer in his 40's. He exudes money – a pillar of security.
On the other side of the room, Rene Ricard is surrounded by a
coterie of young, mostly BLACK AND HISPANIC MALES. Rene looks drunk, enjoying the moment, holding court.
Rene crosses to Albert and Andy.
People pass by.
Jean starts to walk.
About half a block away, he sprays on a wall:
He looks pleased. He turns and looks up West Broadway beyond the buildings at the sky:
SUPERIMPOSED IN THE SKY
We see a surfer emerging from a HUGE
WAVE. He looks powerful and exalted.
CUT TO:
EXT. BASKETBALL COURT – DAY
ANGLE ON: A wall. We see the following graffity:
"JIMMY BEST ON HIS BACK TO THE SUCKERPUNCH OF HIS CHILDHOOD
YEARS"
A basketball bounces against a wall.
Jean and Benny amble onto a basketball court. Jean's changed his
hairstyle. Now the dreadlocks stand straight up from his head.
Benny dribbles with skill while Jean puffs furiously on a cigarette.
He doesn't look like he's slept, but he's happy.
Benny throws the ball to Jean. It bounces off a puddle and splashes
Jean.
Come on, Jean. Get rid of your cigarette. Concentrate.
BASQUIAT
I am... On Gina.
(beat)
Fuck – I didn't think we were actually gonna do this.
BENNY
Concentrate on the ball. Shoot.
Jean shoots. It flies up, up, up – and over the backboard.
He runs after the ball, gets it, and dribbles clumsily.
BENNY
You're shattering all my myths.
BASQUIAT
About what?
BENNY
Your people.
BASQUIAT
Oh – you mean black people!
He shoots and misses again. He throws it to Benny, who does a picture-perfect lay-up.
BASQUIAT (CONT'D)
(changing the subject)
How long do you think it takes to get really famous?
During the following, Benny performs a series of amazing shots while Jean looks on admiringly.
BENNY
For a musician or a painter?
Jean shrugs.
BASQUIAT
Whatever. Famous. To where you can do your stuff all
day without thinking about anything else.
BENNY
Ummm... Four years. Six to get rich.
He shoots. Swish.
BENNY (CONT'D)
First, you have to dress right.
He shoots again. Swish.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Then, you have to hang out all the time – with famous
people – the right people, the right chicks, the right parties.
He shoots again. Swish.
BENNY (CONT'D)
And you gotta do your work all the time when you're
not doing that. The same kinda work, the same style – over and over again, so people recognize it and don't get
confused. Then, once you're famous, you have to keep doing it the same way,
even after it's boring – unless you want people to really get mad at you –
which they will anyway.
Benny tosses Jean the ball. Jean walks off the court.
BASQUIAT
Come on. I hate this. I'm no good at it.
Jean shoots the ball and keeps walking. The ball goes in. He doesn't notice. Benny runs after it.
EXT. HOUSTON ST. – DUSK
Benny and Jean walk along. Benny dribbles.
BENNY
Famous people are usually pretty stupid. You're too
smart. You'd get bored to death. You don't wanna be like John Henry – fighting
the machine. Just do what you do. It's about integrity. Follow your heart.
BASQUIAT
Who's John Henry?
BENNY
Oh man! Folklore guy – worked on the railroad. Y'know,
pounding in spikes and laying down track. Then one day they invented a machine
to do it. And he says "Fuck that, I'm a MAN" and he challenges the
machine to a race to lay down a mile of track. It takes two days. Neck and neck
the whole time. They get right to the end, and he beats it by one spike.
(pause)
Got a cigarette?
BASQUIAT
So then what?
BENNY
He drops dead! See? Just do your shit like you do it!
Your friends like you, you get laid, everyone walks by, sees your stuff
everywhere. It's good. What else do you want?
They watch a long stretch limo cruises up across the street.
BASQUIAT
Like I said – my liquid hijack Marlboros.
(indicates limo)
Check it out.
The LIMO DRIVER opens the back door. Andy Warhol and Bruno Bischofberger step out.
BASQUIAT (CONT'D)
Andy Warhol. He's famous and he's not boring.
INSERT: AN IMAGE OF ANDY'S PAINTINGS AT THE WHITNEY MUSEUM (FOOTAGE
FROM JONAS MEKAS FILM)
Jean scrounges in his pockets, pulls out his Xerox cards, and
readies himself as Bruno and Andy enter BALLATO'S
RESTAURANT.
BENNY
What're you doing? You're doing something.
BASQUIAT
He's the best painter in the world. I'm gonna give him
one of these.
BENNY
Don't give him anything, man. Your art's worth a lot.
Trade. That's what real artists do with each other. Besides, he'll just use
you. He's famous for that.
Benny watches Jean crosses the street. Jean passes the limousine. Inside, the driver (a 24-year old Rasta) takes a hit from a joint and watches Jean.
CLOSE ON
The driver's eyes.
CUT TO:
DRIVER'S POV:
He watches Jean cross the street.
Jean enters the restaurant.
INT. BALLATO'S – DAY
Jean enters. Andy and Bruno spot him. The Maitre'd becomes alarmed. but it's too late – he's at their table.
He spreads his cards on the table. The topmost card reads "REDEEMABLE BECAUSE OF HIS YOUTH."
Andy stares dead ahead, Sphinxlike.
Bruno watches the non-interaction between the two.
(to Jean, flustered)
Can I help you?.
He taps Jean's shoulder.
MAITRE'D (CONT'D)
(to Jean)
Sir...?
BRUNO
(sympathetically)
I think
it's ok.
MAITRE'D
Of course, Mr. Bischofberger.
Bruno picks up one of the cards.
BASQUIAT
You wanna buy some ignorant art? Ten bucks.
ANDY WARHOL
Ignorant art?
BASQUIAT
Yeah... Like – stupid, ridiculous, crummy art.
ANDY WARHOL
Ohhh. That's new. That sounds good.
BASQUIAT
Ten bucks apiece.
ANDY WARHOL
I can give you five. You didn't do very much to these.
BASQUIAT
You don't even work on your stuff!
BRUNO
It doesn't matter how much you worked on them. It
matters how much you can get for them.
BASQUIAT
I can get ten.
ANDY WARHOL
I'll take two. This one and... that one.
(to Bruno)
Can I borrow some money, Bruno?
Bruno pulls out a hundred dollar bill.
BRUNO
Here. Do you have change?
As WAITER arrives with the tray, Jean pockets the bill.
BASQUIAT
You made a good deal. Here, you can have these, too.
He leaves all the cards and walks toward the door.
BRUNO'S POV:
Jean leaving past stupified Maitre'd.
