Drugstore Cowboy

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Drugstore Cowboy
Image:Drugstore Cowboy.jpg Drugstore Cowboy DVD cover
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)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Drugstore Cowboy is a 1989 film written and directed by Gus Van Sant.

Matt Dillon stars in the title role, and Kelly Lynch and Heather Graham 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, allowing Van Sant to make next My Own Private Idaho, a more personal film.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Literary source 3 Quotes 4 Awards 5 External links 6 References

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 the original "junkie" 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.

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Van Sant's screenplay is based on the then-unpublished novel by James Fogle.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.

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."

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

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