Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

James Fogle (novel)
Gus Van Sant (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A realistic road movie about a drug addict, his 'family', and their inevitable decline into crime.

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Motel | 1970s | Drugstore | Drug Addict

Awards:

10 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Matt Dillon	...	Bob
Kelly Lynch	...	Dianne
James LeGros	...	Rick (as James Le Gros)
Heather Graham	...	Nadine
Eric Hull	...	Druggist
Max Perlich	...	David
James Remar	...	Gentry
John Kelly	...	Cop
Grace Zabriskie	...	Bob's Mother
George Catalano	...	Trousinski
Janet Baumhover	...	Neighbor Lady
Ted D'Arms	...	Neighbor Man
Neal Thomas	...	Halamer
Stephen Rutledge	...	Motel Manager
Beah Richards	...	Drug Counselor

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Beacon Rock, Oregon, USA

Company:

Avenue Pictures Productions

Trivia:

Dianne (Kelly Lynch) can be seen in the first drugstore robbery scene stealing a copy of Erich Segal's "Love Story". Other books in the shelf are "Dialogues with the Devil" and "Great Lion of God" both by Taylor Caldwell, "Goodbye, Columbus" by Philip Roth, "Thirteen Days" by Robert F. Kennedy, "Search" by Diane Kennedy Pike, "The Angel Inside Went Soar", "Heart of the High Country" by Elizabeth Gowans and "The Psychic Reader" by Martin Ebon.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bob returns to his apartment, having given Father Tom the drugs Dianne brought him, it is clear that, as he walks the corridor, his apartment's door is open and light comes from inside. In the next shot, he opens the door to a dark apartment.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bob: I was once a shameless full-time dope fiend.

Movie Connections:

References Love Story (1970)

Soundtrack:

The Israelites

A great road movie. A great drug movie. A great black comedy. One of the best movies of the 1980s.

'Drugstore Cowboy' really knocked my socks off when I first watched it about 12-13 years ago, and it still impresses me every time I view it again. An unsentimental drug movie that doesn't resort to knee jerk moralizing, it is one of the very best movies of the 1980s, and still one of the best movies of its kind (Alison Maclean's underrated 'Jesus' Son' is one of the few recent movies to come close to it). Gus Van Sant looked like he was going to be one of the most exciting directors of the 1990s, but after the excellent 'My Own Private Idaho' it quickly proved not to be so, his career ending up with awful saccharine "uplifting" Hollwood dreck and his misguided remake of 'Psycho' that's best if we pretend never happened. Whatever he went on to make there's no denying that this is one brilliant movie. Matt Dillon gives one of his strongest and most complex performances, and he is backed up by an equally impressive supporting cast of Kelly Lynch (easily her best role), the wonderful James LeGros ('Floundering'), future sex symbol Heather Graham ('Boogie Nights'), and quirky character actor fave Max Perlich ('Truth Or Consequences, NM'). Also keep an eye out for the shoulda-been-a-star James Remar ('The Warriors') and a cameo by the legendary William S. Burroughs as "the Priest". 'Drugstore Cowboy' has energy, humour, depth and honesty. I love it. A wonderful movie and highly recommended.