IMDb > Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy
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Drugstore Cowboy (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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Drugstore Cowboy (1989) -- A realistic road movie about a drug addict, his 'family', and their inevitable decline into crime.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   11,851 votes
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Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
James Fogle (novel)
Gus Van Sant (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Drugstore Cowboy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
October 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
A realistic road movie about a drug addict, his 'family', and their inevitable decline into crime. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
11 wins & 4 nominations more
User Reviews:
A poignant but realistic look at the drug subculture more (69 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

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. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The amount of sweat and blood on Bobby's shirt changes between shots in the women's bathroom at the hospital. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Bob: I was once a shameless full-time dope fiend.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Wanderlust (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
I Am more

FAQ

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10 out of 13 people found the following review useful.
A poignant but realistic look at the drug subculture, 18 May 2002
Author: Casey Machula from Flagstaff, AZ

If you're one of the so-called `art-film' aficionados who was disappointed, as I was, by Requiem for a Dream (and even if you weren't), you'll love Drugstore Cowboy. Directed by the man who gave us such classics as To Die For and Good Will Hunting, Drugstore Cowboy is, without doubt, Van Sant's greatest work. It's a magnificent time capsule from the early seventies, having no reference to the Vietnam War, Kent State, or any other icon of the period. It's purely about the drug subculture.

Set along the affluent north Atlantic seaboard, where pharmacies and drugstores litter the urban landscape, the drama revolves around four friends who support their drug habits by robbing the official dispensaries of addictive substances. An interesting and compelling setup all by itself, in lesser hands, the script and action would be enough to produce a decent flick; but, it goes way beyond that. Matt Dillon gives what I think is his best performance ever, a perfectly charming substance abuser who has created a little cocoon of a world all to himself. Like little moons revolving around his dreamy and sometimes terrifying little world, the drugstores he stalks all promise a one-way trip to a different place. As viewers, we're all sucked in by the gravity of his world, such that we even begin to understand and believe his peculiar little superstitious rituals. In this special existence, they make sense. To transgress against the rules is to court disaster. And like Adam in the garden, he eventually breaks his own rules, and pays the price.

But it's a fortunate fall from grace. Drugstore Cowboy is completely realistic in its portrayal of the full-blown addict's hitting rock bottom, an experience that is foundational in the wisdom of AA. The recovery scenes are moving in their sincerity and simplicity, none of which is sugarcoated or saccharine. And yet, the recovery scenes are both joyous and heartbreakingly poignant. God, what a great movie.

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Drugstore Sequel In The Works.... jakephall
realism chachi_arcola
Drugstore Cowboy vs. My Own Private Idaho LatteBoy13
Heather Graham TheRealB5160-8
all the drugs names rick_levy
Acting wait_dream
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