Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

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

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
William S. Burroughs	...	Tom the Priest
Robert Lee Pitchlynn	...	Hotel Clerk
Roger Hancock	...	Machinist
Michael Parker	...	Crying Boy
Ray Monge	...	Accomplice
Woody	...	Panda the Dog
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Peterson	...	Himself - TV Commercial (uncredited)

Directed by
Gus Van Sant		(as Gus Van Sant Jr.)

Writing credits
James Fogle		(novel)
Gus Van Sant		(screenplay) (as Gus Van Sant Jr.) and
Daniel Yost		(screenplay)
William S. Burroughs		additional dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
Cary Brokaw	....	executive producer
Karen Murphy	....	producer
Nick Wechsler	....	producer

Original Music by
Elliot Goldenthal

Cinematography by
Robert D. Yeoman		(as Robert Yeoman)

Film Editing by
Mary Bauer
Curtiss Clayton

Casting by
Sharon Bialy
Richard Pagano

Production Design by
David Brisbin

Art Direction by
Eve Cauley

Set Decoration by
Margaret Goldsmith

Costume Design by
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor

Makeup Department
Jeanine Greville-Morris	....	assistant hair stylist
Jeanine Greville-Morris	....	assistant makeup artist
Gina Monaci	....	hair designer
Lizbeth Williamson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Karen Koch	....	production manager
Leslie A. Leitner	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robin Leigh Fleck	....	second assistant director
David B. Householter	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Linda Dixon	....	swing gang
Michael Gastaldo	....	property master
Rob Gomez	....	art department assistant
Ken Hardy	....	lead man
Benjamin Hayden	....	swing gang
Christopher Kliks	....	painter
Don Lundell	....	carpenter (as Don Robinson Lundell)
Chris Mikolavich	....	construction assistant
Chris Mikolavich	....	paint assistant
Brian Montague	....	art department intern
Christopher Nance	....	carpenter (as Christopher J. Nance)
Dana A. Payne	....	carpenter
Charles T. Riggs	....	carpenter
Dan Self	....	head scenic artist
William Small	....	assistant property master
Missy Stewart	....	set dresser
Jason Winters	....	head carpenter
Gregory Yock	....	construction assistant

Sound Department
Martha Atwell	....	assistant sound editor
G.W. Brown	....	adr editor
Dane A. Davis	....	supervising sound editor
Gary Gegan	....	adr mixer
Gary Gegan	....	foley mixer
Tom Hammond	....	foley editor
Wayne Heitman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Matthew Iadarola	....	sound effects
Matthew Iadarola	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joel Iwataki	....	sound recording engineer
Robert Jackson	....	boom operator
Ron Judkins	....	sound mixer
John Kwiatkowski	....	sound effects editor
Mark Larry	....	foley editor
John Lawson	....	stereo sound consultant: Ultra
Mark 'Frito' Long	....	sound recordist
Trillby Kim Lowe	....	dialogue editor (as Kimberly Voigt)
Tom McCormick	....	optical sound transfer
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Tracy Toon	....	assistant sound editor
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
Randy Vandegrift	....	dialogue editor
Carl Vandervoort	....	additional boom operator

Stunts
David Boushey	....	stunt coordinator
Steve Buckley	....	stunts (as Stephen D. Buckley)
Bob MacDougall	....	stunts (as Robert MacDougall)
Kathleen Reilly	....	stunts
Paul Thomas	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
John Boccaccio	....	first assistant camera
T.J. Civis	....	grip
Eric Alan Edwards	....	photographer: second unit
Michael Gall	....	electrician
John F. Gurney	....	additional electrician
Wes Houle	....	electrician
Bob Leitelt	....	grip (as 'Mr. Bob' Leitelt)
Willie Mann	....	best boy grip
Jesse Mather	....	best boy electric
Mary McGowan-Welp	....	additional electrician
Michael Earl Menlow	....	additional electrician (as M.E. Menlow)
Mike Moad	....	dolly grip
Chris Morley	....	gaffer (as Christopher Morley)
Les Percy	....	key grip
Randall S. Timmerman	....	second assistant camera
Demmie Todd	....	unit photographer
Steven Welp	....	additional electrician
Rick Wiley	....	grip
Gary Yahn	....	grip

Casting Department
Patti Carns Kalles	....	casting: Portland (as Patti Kalles)
Julia Flores	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dana Delfs	....	wardrobe assistant
Marychris Mass	....	wardrobe assistant
Lynn Murdock	....	assistant costume designer
Marsha Perloff	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Charles Abbott	....	editorial intern
Sharon Ballin	....	editorial intern
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Curtis Croeni	....	first assistant editor
Elizabeth Fulton Schmidt	....	apprentice editor (as Elizabeth Fulton)
D-J Haanraadts	....	second assistant editor (as 'D.J.' Haanraadts)
Randal Holmes	....	editorial intern
Maureen Iser	....	post-production coordinator
Mike Milliken	....	negative timer
Lisa Rosen	....	post-production coordinator
Caroline Ross	....	additional editor
Tom Walton	....	post-production intern

Music Department
Bill Bernstein	....	music editor
Randal Case	....	music coordinator
Joel Iwataki	....	music scoring mixer
Richard Martinez	....	associate music producer
Kosmo Vinyl	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Harry Alston	....	driver
Pedro Amaya	....	driver
William 'Fleet' Eakland	....	transportation coordinator
Robert Eckholt	....	driver
Larry Gersten	....	driver
John Hannah	....	driver
Scott Hubacek	....	driver
Lawrence Odgen	....	driver
Bruce Simballa	....	transportation captain
John Jan Slovinec	....	driver
Randall A. Small	....	driver: camera car (as Randy Small)
Larry Smith	....	driver
Pat Stubbs	....	driver
Paul Thomas	....	driver

Other crew
Christina Ajalat	....	assistant coordinator
Eric Anderson	....	office production assistant
Jo Barnett	....	production accountant
Linda Bloom-Hedine	....	craft service
Kathy Clark	....	unit publicist
Michelle Croft	....	first aid
Gwen Everman	....	assistant accountant
Linda Feldman	....	craft service
Judy Geletko	....	additional accountant
Jane Goldsmith	....	script supervisor
Charles Harrington	....	location manager
Michael Kerras	....	extras coordinator
Chloe King	....	assistant to producers (as Chloé King)
Kendra King	....	assistant: Mr. Brokaw
Kelly Leistritz	....	stand-in
Claudia Lewis	....	production executive
Kim Lorati	....	production intern
Tito Matos	....	stand-in
Eric McLeod	....	production coordinator
Susan O'Leary	....	office production assistant
Laurie Parker	....	production executive
Shannon Putnam	....	stand-in
Alex Rad	....	production intern
Matt Rask	....	assistant locations
Mark Saltveit	....	set production assistant
Erick H. Schultz	....	set production assistant
Drew Silverman	....	office production assistant

Thanks
Michael Eliasberg	....	special acknowledgment
Gary Tieche	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Avenue Pictures Productions

Distributors

• Avenue Pictures Productions (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1989) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1990) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Artisan Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Flashback Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1990) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• Cinema Research  opticals
• Clein, Feldman & White  public relations
• Danetracks  sound editing
• Evan M. Greenspan  music coordination
• Film Finance  completion bond
• Filmtrucks  location equipment
• International Catering  catering
• JDH Sound  post production and re-recording facility
• Mercer Titles & Optical Effects Ltd.  end titles
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Shotmaker Co., The  camera car

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:

Anachronisms: HBO sign visible outside the hotel.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in Wanderlust (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Psychotic Reaction

As great as anything

This is easily Gus Van Sant's best movie and contains Matt Dillon's best performance. The other cast members are also terrific, but the part of "Bob" is greatly realized by Dillon and he shines. The movie is difficult to watch at times but you get something out of it to think about when its over. I also must mention a great scene between Lynch, Matt & Matt's mother, played by Grace Zabriskie. To top it all off, this is also Heather Graham's best movie and she delivers as well. A blues soundtrack and beautiful cinematography make this one to remember.