The rags-to-riches story, flitting across silver screens for decades, is one we are all too familiar with. But as with all clichés, it all depends on how it is presented. “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child,” despite its predictability, portrays the renowned Neo-expressionist artist in a detached yet personal way that evokes both sympathy and fascination.

It is detached because director Tamra Davis struggles to remain neutral despite her close connection with Basquiat. As a behind-the-camera interviewer, she is evidently affected by his early death but does not let the sorrow seep through the film. In fact, for such a tragic tale, “The Radiant Child” is surprisingly light-hearted, composing a Romantic and fairy tale-esque depiction of his climb to fame.

At the same time, it is personal because Basquiat’s life story is intermingled with interviews of his acquaintances, offering glances into the persona that is kept hidden from the public. They remember him with fond smiles and charming anecdotes, while displaying an emotional sincerity that is rare to come by. Only through these interviews are we able to see the wide spectrum of celebrities Basquiat has influenced, from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore to hip-hop’s Fab Five Freddy.

Documentaries can easily succumb to the abyss of dullness. Therefore, Davis wisely chooses to compress Basquiat’s days of obscurity and focus more on his glimmering rise to fame. She uses a variety of mediums to tell Basquiat’s tale, interspersing interviews with photographs and live footage as well as close-ups of his most renowned paintings. Unfortunately, it is not a particularly unique story, but it’s an entertaining one nevertheless.

Basquiat made his mark on the NYC art community through a series of graffiti that he contributed to called “SAMO.” The striking designs caught the eye of the Village Voice, and their article on it furthered the hype. After dropping out of high school, Basquiat began fashioning postcards and T-shirts. On the side, he performed with his band, Gray, and dabbled in acting, his most prominent appearance being a cameo in a Blondie music video.

At the mere age of 20, Basquiat skyrocketed to fame after Rene Ricard wrote a review called “The Radiant Child,” which took a highly favorable angle on several of his paintings showcased at the Times Square Show. Over the course of just three years, the listing price for his paintings went from five thousand to 30 grand. He never opened a bank account, so there were just piles of cash lying around the house, stuck inside books and buried under laundry.

A major part of his fame can be attributed to his relationship with Andy Warhol. The two met during a random lunch encounter. Basquiat abruptly left for an hour only to return with an enormous recreation of a Polaroid of him and Warhol, taken at the restaurant. Warhol was so impressed with the speed and quality of Basquiat’s work that he immediately took him under his wing. Although Warhol sparked Basquiat’s success, he also catalyzed his downfall. Along with the wine-and-dine came a substance abuse problem that led to a never-ending aura of paranoia and distrust. Basquiat’s frequent party-hopping and heroin addiction simply made him more wary of the world. After Warhol’s death, he started to misread everything. To him, one negative review meant that the public has turned on him. Ironically, Basquiat commented that he identified with heroes who had tragic endings.

“No one loves a genius child.” Langston Hughes’ haunting words both open and conclude the film. There is no doubt Basquiat produced remarkable artworks for one so young and inexperienced. But his startling downfall is difficult to forget and “The Radiant Child” constructs an equally memorable montage of the short-lived painter that was Jean-Michel Basquiat.