Drugs and other Disasters
by CassieNewton | created - 13 Jan 2012 | updated - 28 Mar 2015 | Publicmovies of all genres, some are deep, others light and fun.
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1. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
R | 102 min | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Votes: 898,631 | Gross: $3.64M
cult.
2. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
R | 102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Director: Scott Kalvert | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, James Madio
Votes: 121,015 | Gross: $2.42M
based on a true story, Leo DiCaprio shines.
3. Candy (2006)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance
A poet falls in love with an art student who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle -- and his love of heroin. Hooked as much on one another as they are on the drug, their relationship alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.
Director: Neil Armfield | Stars: Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Budge
Votes: 47,743 | Gross: $0.04M
sad and realistic, Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish are both excellent.
4. Permanent Midnight (1998)
R | 88 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A comedy writer struggles to overcome his addiction to heroin while putting his professional and personal life in danger.
Director: David Veloz | Stars: Ben Stiller, Maria Bello, Jay Paulson, Spencer Garrett
Votes: 7,929 | Gross: $1.17M
Ben Stiller as a drug addict? It works!!!
5. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,631 | Gross: $7.42M
6. Traffic (2000)
R | 147 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas
Votes: 219,715 | Gross: $124.12M
7. Trainspotting (1996)
R | 93 min | Drama
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd
Votes: 725,561 | Gross: $16.50M
8. The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
PG | 110 min | Drama
Follows the lives of heroin addicts who frequent "Needle Park" in New York City.
Director: Jerry Schatzberg | Stars: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, Richard Bright
Votes: 20,204
9. Spun (2002)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A drug dealer introduces one of his customers, a 'speed freak', to the man who runs the meth lab. A crazy three-day adventure ensues.
Director: Jonas Åkerlund | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 40,738 | Gross: $0.41M
10. Ecstasy (II) (2011)
TV-MA | 99 min | Drama, Romance
Small drug smuggler from Scotland is trying to figure out his way through life until he meets beautiful girl from Canada who seeks a change after bad relationship she just got out of it.
Director: Robert Heydon | Stars: Adam Sinclair, Kristin Kreuk, Billy Boyd, Carlo Rota
Votes: 1,913
11. Blow (2001)
R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 275,018 | Gross: $52.99M
12. Go (1999)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
The aftermath of a drug deal as told from three different points of view.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs
Votes: 75,148 | Gross: $16.84M
13. Basquiat (1996)
R | 107 min | Biography, Drama
The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani
Votes: 22,060 | Gross: $2.96M
14. Adaptation. (2002)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton
Votes: 203,017 | Gross: $22.25M
15. Rush (1991)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two small-town Texas cops go undercover to catch a major drug dealer and are sucked into the drug culture, compromising their assignment.
Director: Lili Fini Zanuck | Stars: Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Elliott, Max Perlich
Votes: 9,892 | Gross: $7.24M
16. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)
Not Rated | 129 min | Comedy, Drama
A young French Canadian, one of five boys in a conservative family in the 1960s and 1970s, struggles to reconcile his emerging identity with his father's values.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin, Danielle Proulx, Émile Vallée
Votes: 34,127
17. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,648 | Gross: $15.63M
18. Scarface (1983)
R | 170 min | Crime, Drama
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Votes: 916,304 | Gross: $45.60M
19. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
R | 118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Michael Lee Gogin
Votes: 301,476 | Gross: $10.68M
20. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,219,662 | Gross: $107.93M
21. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Eddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Votes: 616,213 | Gross: $3.90M
22. Prozac Nation (2001)
R | 95 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A young woman struggles with depression during her first year at Harvard.
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg | Stars: Christina Ricci, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jessica Lange, Anne Heche
Votes: 19,000
23. Midnight Express (1978)
R | 121 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Billy Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli
Votes: 88,227 | Gross: $35.00M
24. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
R | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy
After being mistaken for terrorists and thrown into Guantánamo Bay, stoners Harold and Kumar escape and return to the U.S., where they proceed to flee across the country with federal agents in hot pursuit.
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg | Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry
Votes: 142,005 | Gross: $38.09M
25. The Hangover (2009)
R | 100 min | Comedy
Three buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.
Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Ed Helms
Votes: 846,176 | Gross: $277.32M
26. Leaves of Grass (2009)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An Ivy League professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother, a small-time pot grower, has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord.
Director: Tim Blake Nelson | Stars: Edward Norton, Keri Russell, Henry Max Nelson, Lucy DeVito
Votes: 27,883 | Gross: $0.07M
27. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
R | 100 min | Animation, Comedy, Crime
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Rory Cochrane
Votes: 117,115 | Gross: $5.50M
28. Alpha Dog (2006)
R | 122 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Johnny and his pals kidnap Jake's 15-year-old brother Zach, then assign his buddy Frankie to be Zach's minder. They develop a brotherly friendship. Zach parties with his captors as things begin to spin out of control.
Director: Nick Cassavetes | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Willis
Votes: 107,980 | Gross: $15.23M
29. American Psycho (2000)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage
Votes: 715,226 | Gross: $15.07M
30. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Passed | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Arnold Stang
Votes: 12,210
31. The Doors (1991)
R | 140 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in 1971.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley
Votes: 99,045 | Gross: $35.18M
32. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
R | 159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack
Votes: 375,033 | Gross: $55.69M
33. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
R | 113 min | Drama
A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver
Votes: 120,744 | Gross: $44.79M
34. From Hell (2001)
R | 122 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After five ritualistic murders are committed in 1888 London, Inspector Abberline's assignment is to investigate the "Jack the Ripper" murders. Along with a string of mutilated prostitutes, he uncovers a conspiracy involving the government.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane
Votes: 164,187 | Gross: $31.60M
35. Garden State (2004)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm
Votes: 223,181 | Gross: $26.78M
36. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 488,832 | Gross: $44.59M
37. The Rules of Attraction (2002)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.
Director: Roger Avary | Stars: James Van Der Beek, Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel
Votes: 53,324 | Gross: $6.53M
38. O (2001)
R | 95 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
An update of Shakespeare's 'Othello' with a young cast, set in an upper class prep school, & centered around basketball player Odin.
Director: Tim Blake Nelson | Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, Martin Sheen, Josh Hartnett
Votes: 21,920 | Gross: $16.02M
39. Walk the Line (2005)
PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick
Votes: 265,815 | Gross: $119.52M
40. Zombieland (2009)
R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.
Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 621,198 | Gross: $75.59M
41. Thumbsucker (2005)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
Justin throws himself and everyone around him into chaos when he attempts to break free from his addiction to his thumb.
Director: Mike Mills | Stars: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves
Votes: 21,989 | Gross: $1.33M
42. Tideland (2005)
R | 120 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagination.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly, Jodelle Ferland, Janet McTeer
Votes: 34,683 | Gross: $0.07M
43. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
R | 113 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman who has been in and out of rehab for the past ten years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger, Sebastian Stan
Votes: 51,222 | Gross: $12.80M
44. Thirteen (2003)
R | 100 min | Drama
A thirteen-year-old girl's relationship with her mother is put to the test as she discovers drugs, sex, and petty crime in the company of her cool but troubled best friend.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Vanessa Hudgens
Votes: 97,998 | Gross: $4.60M
45. Stoned (2005)
R | 102 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of the sordid life and suspicious death of Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones, who was found in the bottom of his swimming pool weeks after being let go from the band.
Director: Stephen Woolley | Stars: Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Ben Whishaw
Votes: 4,162
46. The Runaways (2010)
R | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. The relationship between band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett is also explored.
Director: Floria Sigismondi | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Stella Maeve
Votes: 50,939 | Gross: $3.57M
47. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
R | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy
A Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.
Director: Danny Leiner | Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry, Rob Tinkler
Votes: 206,063 | Gross: $18.23M
hilarious!
48. Pineapple Express (2008)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A process server and his marijuana dealer wind up on the run from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after he witnesses his dealer's boss murder a competitor while trying to serve papers on him.
Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Danny McBride
Votes: 357,445 | Gross: $87.34M
49. Nowhere (1997)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Follows a day in the lives of a group of Los Angeles high school students and the strange lives they lead.
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: James Duval, Rachel True, Nathan Bexton, Chiara Mastroianni
Votes: 10,246 | Gross: $0.03M
50. Notorious (2009)
R | 122 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The life and death story of The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.
Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke, Momo Dione
Votes: 46,058 | Gross: $36.84M
51. Brick (2005)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin, Meagan Good
Votes: 110,043 | Gross: $2.06M
52. Less Than Zero (1987)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama
A college freshman returns to L.A. for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
Director: Marek Kanievska | Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader
Votes: 22,118 | Gross: $12.40M
53. New Jack City (1991)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock
Votes: 38,820 | Gross: $47.62M
54. Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
PG-13 | 83 min | Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two potheads wake up after a night of partying and cannot remember where they parked their car.
Director: Danny Leiner | Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff
Votes: 145,789 | Gross: $46.73M
55. Woodstock (1970)
R | 184 min | Documentary, History, Music
Oscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.
Director: Michael Wadleigh | Stars: Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Roger Daltrey, Joe Cocker
Votes: 18,461 | Gross: $50.00M
56. Half Nelson (2006)
R | 106 min | Drama
An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.
Director: Ryan Fleck | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps, Jeff Lima
Votes: 91,918 | Gross: $2.69M
57. All That I Am (2013)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama
An annual family reunion turns into a disaster when two unexpected guests arrive. This entertaining family drama delivers laughs and tears, starring Christopher Abbott ("Girls", "Catch-22")... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Puga | Stars: Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Christopher McCann, Dan Bittner
Votes: 183
58. When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
R | 126 min | Drama, Romance
The seemingly perfect relationship between a man and his wife is tested as a result of her alcoholism.
Director: Luis Mandoki | Stars: Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, Ellen Burstyn, Tina Majorino
Votes: 23,576 | Gross: $50.02M
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