Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

A pharmacy-robbing dope fiend and his crew pop pills and evade the law.

Director:

Gus Van Sant (as Gus Van Sant Jr.)

Writers:

James Fogle (novel), Gus Van Sant (screenplay) (as Gus Van Sant Jr.)

Stars:

Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Le Gros

12 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Dillon	...	Bob
Kelly Lynch	...	Dianne
James Le Gros	...	Rick
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

Storyline

A group of drug users in the 1970's help finance their habit by robbing drug stores. Matt Dillon's character is very superstitious and eventually his luck runs out.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | ambush | amphetamine | ashtray | bed | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was based on the writings of James Fogle, who was a real-life criminal and drug addict who robbed drugstores.

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Goofs

In the last scene there is a 1975 or newer white and red colored Ford Van in the background. That boxy styled front end came to be in 1975 and ended in 1991.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Home-video-style footage of the characters plays during almost the entire end credits.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Druggies (2015)

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Soundtracks

Cherry Lips
Written by Scotty Moore (as Winfield Scott)
Performed by The Robins
Published by Neil Music, Inc.
Courtesy of GNP Crescendo Records

User Reviews

A poignant but realistic look at the drug subculture

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drugstore Cowboy

Filming Locations:

Beacon Rock, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,805, 9 October 1989

Gross USA:

$4,729,352

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,729,352

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avenue Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1