Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

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 | Drug Addict | Motel | 1970s | Drugstore

Awards:

11 wins & 5 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:
Doug Cooeyate	...	Extra - guy with knife (uncredited)
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
Kenneth 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
Kimberly Ellen 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
Mickey Cottrell	....	publicist (uncredited)

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)
• Forum Distribution (1990) (France) (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
• Creative Casting  casting
• Danetracks  sound editing
• Evan M. Greenspan  music coordination
• Film Finances  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

Also Known As:

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 | Singapore:M18 | 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:

Based on the writings of James Fogle, who was in reality a criminal and drug addict who robbed drugstores.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nadine puts the hat on the bed and lies down besides it, it's crushed in a regular camera angle, and not crushed when shown from above and it moves around between each shot.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Human Traffic (1999)

Soundtrack:

Psychotic Reaction

Excellent story of a junkie who tries to straighten out his life, only to find out that things aren't much better than they were before.

Matt Dillon delivers one of the best performances of his career in Drugstore Cowboy, a gritty film about the real life of junkies. There is heavy drug content in this film, but in no way is the drug life glorified. We see the more realistic life of drugs on the streets, which is probably what makes this such an aesthetically unpleasing film. No one in the movie looks good, it has just about as much ugliness as a spectacularly ugly movie like Buffalo '66, which enhances the realism of the film. Much of the film is shot in a documentary style, giving it a gritty, realistic feel, almost like a twisted home movie.

Dillon plays the part of Bob, a young junkie in the early 1970s who goes around with his group of friends breaking into pharmacies and drug stores and stealing random bottles of prescription bottles looking for their next high. The movie starts at the end of the story, with Bob riding in an ambulance and telling us the story of how he got there, but has the pleasing distinction of not leading you exactly to where you knew you were going to be. Even by showing the end of the story there is nothing given away. This is a powerful drug film that doesn't hold anything back. It is not pretty to look at, but also like Buffalo '66, it's hideously unattractive counterpart, the movie has something to say.