#81 Watch every single dvd I haven't already watched

Rob and I watched Drugstore Cowboy last night and I was . . . well, underwhelmed. It is probably a better book than it is a movie. It was interesting to see William S Burroughs cast as an older gentleman junkie. I do love Matt Dillon and don't understand why he didn't achieve more screen success although perhaps he wants a smaller than Hollywood career.

The movie has strong (very) performance. The direction is okay. There are some interesting things done but nothing significant. I've seen this sort of story before and done better. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the more powerful movies I've seen lately. Who knows? I have a feeling that the book is far more hard hitting than this movie is and, as a result, I was disappointed and wanting more.

There is an interesting observation made in the dvd (perhaps in the extras), something that is probably more fully explored in the book. Matt Dillon, in discussing addiction, says that the people's emotions come and go. We get up in the morning and don't know how we will feel. But an addict can always know how he will feel because all he has to do is read the label in the bottle. This is something I will be pondering more in my journal. It is an intriguing and provocative thought and probably not unique although this is the first time I've heard it myself.

SPOILER ALERT!!! There was an interesting turning point in the movie where Bob (Matt Dillon) tells his wife that he wants to get sober. She (Kelly Lynch) says she loves him. But in the end she chooses not to go through rehabilitation and goes on with her life as before, stealing drugs and moving from place to place while Bob tries to live a normal life. I remember, when I heard her say "I love you" I thought to myself, "No. Not really. The drugs. She loves the drugs. But she doesn't love him because she is choosing to follow the drugs and not him."