Comedy and TV director Tamra Davis (Billy Madison, Half Baked, that one movie starring Britney Spears) was a friend of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat when she filmed an interview with him two years before his drug overdose at age 27. Until recently Davis’ footage, which also shows Basquiat goofing off in the studio, dancing, and playing with small dogs, was shelved--until Davis realized, after unearthing it, that she had the impetus for a definitive documentary of the tragic artist’s life and work. Though clearly meant in tribute, and perhaps (not unnecessarily) glossing over some of the more sordid aspects of his last years, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child undeniably achieves a convincing argument for Basquiat’s artistic contributions, educating the viewer on his background, preoccupations, process, and flaws. by Marjorie Skinner