Drugstore Cowboy
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| Drugstore Cowboy | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Gus Van Sant |
| Produced by | Karen Murphy Nick Wechsler |
| Written by | James Fogle (novel) Gus Van Sant Daniel Yost William S. Burroughs additional dialogue (uncredited) |
| Starring | Matt Dillon Kelly Lynch James LeGros Heather Graham |
| Music by | Elliot Goldenthal |
| Cinematography | Robert Yeoman |
| Editing by | Mary Bauer Curtiss Clayton |
| Distributed by | Avenue Pictures Productions |
| Release date(s) | 6 October, 1989 (USA) |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | 2,500,000 USD (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
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Drugstore Cowboy is a 1989 film written and directed by Gus Van Sant.
Matt Dillon stars in the title role, and Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, and William S. Burroughs are also featured. Drugstore Cowboy was filmed mainly around Portland, Oregon. The film's score was written by composer Elliot Goldenthal. Drugstore Cowboy was Van Sant's breakthrough picture.
Drugstore Cowboy was listed on the top ten list of both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert for films released in 1989. The film was very well-received critically.
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[edit] Plot
The story follows Bob Hughes (Dillon) and his "family" of drug addicts as they travel across the US Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s, supporting their habit by robbing pharmacies and hospitals. A highlight of the film is an appearance by recovering addict William S. Burroughs as Tom, a defrocked priest who lectures Bob on the dangers of temptation. After a tragedy strikes the "family" Bob decides to try to "go straight" but finds that there is more to extricating himself from the drug user's lifestyle than just giving up drugs.
[edit] Literary source
Van Sant's screenplay is based on the then-unpublished novel by James Fogle. The novel was published in 1990 (ISBN 0-385-30224-X), by which time Fogle was released from prison - Fogle, like the characters in his story, was a long-time drug user and dealer.
[edit] Quotes
- Bob: "Most people don't know how they're gonna feel from one moment to the next. But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you gotta do is look at the labels on the little bottles."
- Bob: "There's nothing more life-affirming than getting the shit kicked outta ya'."
- Diane: "Bob's like a rabbit, in and out and no nonsense. That goes for a lot more than a hospital pharmacy."
- Bob: "All these kids, they're all TV babies. Watching people killing and fucking each other on the boob tube for so long it's all they know. Hell, they think it's legal. They think it's the right thing to do."
- Bob: "To begin with, nobody, and I mean nobody can talk a junkie out of usin'. You can talk to them for years, but sooner or later they're gonna get hold of somethin'. Maybe it's not dope, maybe it's booze, maybe it's glue, maybe it's gasoline. Maybe it's a gunshot in the head. But somethin'. Somethin' to release the pressures of their everyday life; like havin' to tie their shoes."
- Narrator of book (Page 11-12): "After any kind of drug haul, everyone in the crew indulged to the utmost. Bob laughed to himself as he pictured blues [Numorphan® (oxymorphone) tablets] and Dilaudid in such great amounts that the spoon would literally be overflowing. Upon entering his vein the drug would start a warm itch that would surge along until it hit the brain in a gentle explosion that began in the back of the neck and rose rapidly, until he felt such pleasure that the whole world took on a soft, lofty appeal. Everything was grand then. Your worst enemy -- he wasn't so bad. The ants in the grass -- they were just doing their thing. Everything took on the rosy hue of unlimited success; you could do no wrong; life was beautiful."
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack includes songs that are contemporaneous with the film's setting, along with original music by Elliot Goldenthal.
[edit] Awards
Drugstore Cowboy won the following awards.[1]
- L.A. Film Critics Association (1988) — Best Screenplay (Dan Yost, Gus Van Sant)
- National Society of Film Critics (1988) — Best Film, Best Director
- Independent Spirit Award (1989) — Best Actor (Matt Dillon), Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Max Perlich)
- New York Film Critics Circle (1989) — Best Screenplay
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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