User reviews

Gus Van Sant has always been an interesting filmmaker. He cares about character and story and through the process, his artistic integrity is able to shine through his work and that is why he's considered a prominent director in independent cinema. My Own Private Idaho is more of is more well known independent features and is often viewed as a triumph of independent cinema from the 1990s.

The film follows Mark Waters (River Phoenix) an aimless, misguided young man who hustles on the streets and is yearning to find his way in life. His best friend is Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves), who is also a young man and and a hustler, but who instead is running away from his life in the hope of finding something better. Scott comes from a lot of wealth but chooses not to live that lifestyle because when he's this young and wild, he just doesn't believe that its right for him.

However the film is centered around Mark, who is played with such brutal honestly by the late River Phoenix. River is completely dedicated to the character and brings a wonderful vulnerability to a lost soul and it makes him relatable. We watch him go from scene to scene, leaving us as unaware of his future as he is. We watch him make many mistakes and we want him to better himself but such a task is not easy. Because that's the way life is.

Mark hustles because its just who he is. We don't know how he got here, but we know that he has fallen into this lifestyle and it has consumed him. He needs the money. All of his friends are hustlers, too. He has dreams but its tough to say if he ever truly wants to leave the lifestyle. It seems that getting clients and often falling asleep during it (due to him being narcoleptic) doesn't seem to take as much of a toll on him as does his thoughts about his mother, or his feelings for his best friend.

Gus Van Sant crafts a very fine film here that focuses on such a lifestyle that we're not exposed to in our every day lives and turns it into something we can all relate to. It all comes back to that road, the road that we're all on. Does it really end? Probably not. Much like in the way that Mark is shown standing on that road, staring out into the nothingness. Its really about our lives. We live and we're happy, and we're sad, and we're lonely, and we're lost, and we've found ourselves, all of these things happen on the very same road that never ends.

My Own Private Idaho is flimsy, unconvincing and wildly overrated. Although it is a film worth watching, for River's performance if nothing else, its accredited greatness is no more than a wishfully constructed social myth.

I wish I could say how truly remarkable the film is, but to be honest it lacks substance, it leaves you yearning for something more…I think much of the talent in the film is unexploited to its best potential and the dialogue, in its second half, written in a kind of impromptu, mock Shakespeare, is devoid of any magic.

Overall the film is watch-able and has some great shots, like that at the beginning where the viewer joins Mike (River Phoenix) toward the end of a blow-job he's receiving from a john; when he comes the image of an entire house being dropped onto a desolate highway charges the screen.It's sad and beautiful, and, is a perfect statement on Mike's yearning for a home he never had.

Overall, this is a very artsy movie with a unique vibe. It has an interesting plot and main character, and it does have some vague elements of caring for others, and watching others succeed. But, the acting is... strange. It feels disconnected and it hard to understand what's going on at quite a few moments because of the dialogue. Good for if you want a taste of very artistic movies of the 90s.

This movie isn't about being, or even about being a hustler. "My Own Private Idaho" is about finding a home. In his finest performance, River Phoenix plays Mike, a narcoleptic street hustler with false memories of a terrific childhood. Mike wants to find his mother and family, but how or why he left them is never discussed. This is a movie that shows life at the lowest rung, and is very similar to Kerouac's "On the Road" and especially John Rechy's "City of Night." (In fact the line about becoming a fairy is straight from "City of Night"). Mike and Scott (Keanu Reeves) are both male prostitutes in Oregon. Why either of them have drifted into this profession is anyone's guess. Scott is clearly not gay, but Mike might be and their relationship is what holds the movie together. The film works on many levels, but does have its flaws. It's faux-Shakespearen scenes make the film drag in the middle. Van Sant directed the movie like a dream, which is what Mike's life basically is.

This is a haunting and very sad tale about friendship and finding a home. The performances, especially Phoenix and Udo Kier and Van Sant's dream-like direction are what you remember. "My Own Private Idaho" may be a flawed film, but in my opinion, it is one of the very best of the '90's.

This is the movie that I sincerely hope River Phoenix will long be remembered for. His performance as the narcoleptic and confused street-hustler Mike is so perfect and touching and realistic that it makes me cry every time. Gus Van Sant's films often have a strange aura about them (see Drugstore Cowboy, To Die For) and never has it been more evident than in this oddly affecting road movie/drama. The camera shots of long horizon-spanning roads and skylines, fast-motion clouds, surreal and symbolic shots of houses and rushing rivers provide the film with a strange almost other-worldly charm. Interspersed with the gritty realism of life on the streets of Portland Oregon in the early 90's, and (stranger still) Shakespeare. Some of the plot (Bob and Scott mainly) is based on the Shakespeare play Henry IV (with Keanu Reeves playing the Prince Hal character of Scott, and William Richert playing the Falstaff-like role of "King-Of-The-Streets" Bob.) It's a fascinating, touching and very successful blend of styles overall. The big themes (the search for love and belonging) are conveyed in a very interesting and genuinely moving manner. I particularly enjoyed the symbolism and pathos the film flittingly suggests. The performances are uniformly excellent, and this movie remains one of my all-time favourites. One of the greatest (and most unique) indie movies of the 1990's.

My Own Private Idaho is in many ways a fresh, unique, and one of a kind film. It definitely will not be a film for everyone, but I did find it both interesting and entertaining, and kind of poetic. Phoenix turns in a solid final performance of his career. As for Reeves, I think his performance fits his character just about right. As two hustlers doing their thing, Van Sant handles the material from a fun, interesting, and unique perspective that gave the proceedings the necessary momentum to carry it through some of the less successful elements of the film. Overall, despite some issues I found My Own Private Idaho memorable and worth checking out.

I adore this movie, have owned it on VHS long before there was anything else and have seen it an insane number of times. It isn't perfect, but with me personally, though I'm a European female and thus have no personal life experience that could resemble anything the main characters go through, it struck a chord of universality that made it heart-breaking. The pathos in it, the bitter poetry, the warped magic is just unbelievably beautiful... and painful. It is visually inventive and the casting - even Keanu Reeves's, which has been so often criticised - is top-notch. Reeves's character is a flippant, spoilt young man who goes through life acting in his own self-glorifying drama: what better actor to cast in that role than someone whose acting is so contrived? And Phoenix... well, what can I say... to me, this is THE River Phoenix role, the one that can single-handedly turn him into an immortal, a legend. The Shakespearian quotations I adored: the relationship between Prince Hal and Falstaff from Henry IV, Part II is among the most mesmerising of the Bard's dramatic repertoire - that play was like an emotional earthquake to me. My Own Private Idaho caught its spirit perfectly, and translated it into a context that was original in its own right yet more faithful to Shakespeare in feeling than a more literal transposition might have been. Also, I found the portrayal of Rome in the part in which River's character goes out there to search for his mother, refreshingly true to life and totally cliché-free. As an Italian from Rome, it's very rare that I see a non-Italian film portraying my city of origin with so much authenticity. The FEEL of the place at a given time - the late 80s - was spot-on. In conclusion: to me, not only was My Own Private Idaho one of the best adaptations of (at least parts) of a Shakespeare play that I've seen, but also a tragedy of almost Shakespearian intensity in its own right. It had it all: the unhealthy, consuming passion (the fatal flaw), the power struggles, the young heir in his reckless, youthful days eventually maturing into the arrogance of the privileged (Keanu), the parental ghost that one of the protagonists looks to as his prophetic voice, the voice that may give his life a meaning (River's search for and the flashbacks to the memory of his mother), the intense pathos throughout, the tragic deaths at the end... that film is just pure magic to me! Just writing about it makes me want to see it again - what, for the 20th time or something?! And the tragedy at My Own Private Idaho's core is so universal, it really becomes completely secondary whether it's about and between men, women, homosexuals or heterosexuals.

Mike (River Phoenix) has narcolepsy, and whenever he feels super-stressed he suffers what I interpret to be attacks of cataplexy, that is, sleep triggered by heightened emotions. His friend, would-be lover and fellow male prostitute, Scott (Keanu Reeves), has a rich dad who's going to leave him a hefty sum when he turns 21. These two characters are the main focus of "My Own Private Idaho" which deals with common and uncommon themes, such as home, sexual identity and love. Van Sant throws in some Shakespearean language plagiarised straight from Henry IV and a non-linear narrative and you've got one very cute surrealist indie film.

The credits to this film are it's director and star, River Phoenix, whose understated and moving performance lifts this film above the trash it easily could've been in another director or actor's hands. Van Sant uses symbols to represent emotional states and his use of special effects is limited and effective. There is some really heartfelt dialogue in this movie, especially the much-mentioned camp-fire scene.

This film can be irritating; sometimes the Shakespearean dialogue doesn't work (and it's okay to admit that a near-perfect film like this has flaws) and Reeves is sometimes a little stiff. The film is mostly redeemed by its bitter-sweet ending and fun opening titles.

I'm not going to tackle any issues in this film because I just don't have the energy. Just appreciate the film for what it is and have a nice day. :)

Very loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV part one, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO incorporates great chunks of the Bard's play into its script--and the result is an film with exceptional performances but an experimental edge that doesn't really come off.

Keanu Reeves, the son of a wealthy and influential man, has become a street hustler largely in order to infuriate his father--and hence director Gus Van Sant's recourse to HENRY IV. His closest friend on the street is River Phoenix, a narcoleptic prostitute who dreams of finding security by reconnecting with his trailer-park-trash mother. Together the two go off on a road-trip spree complete with a Falstaff figure and interspersed with takes on other teenage boys plying their bodies on the street in order to survive.

Reeves gives one of his better performances here and the supporting cast is very good, but the heart of the film belongs to River Phoenix, who works miracles with the pathos of his role. It is largely due to his performance that the film is able to hold our attention. But the adoption of Shakespeare's lines, particularly since the film skips in and out of them from portion to portion of the film, seems extremely out of place, and the film as a whole never seems to find a cohesive visual style. Worse still, one is never entirely certain what point Van Sant is trying to make, and the uncertainty doesn't seem intentional on the director's part. Final thought: interesting, but slightly pretentious and and not entirely successful.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I had heard some good recommendations on this film but am lost as to why the overall rating (6.9) on IMDb is so high. Am I missing something?

I watched the whole movie intently, even though my attention was flagging a lot. Those long (metaphoric?) cloud scenes with houses falling apart, reminiscent to me of the Kansas tornado in the Wizard of Oz, lonely stretches of road reminding the protagonist (over and over) of a face, yeah we get it, we don't care. And on. River Phoenix, in the lead playing Mike, is remarkable and eerie too - so much of James Dean in him, the short intense and talented life.

This is loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV part one, and it transfers huge chunks of the play into the movie script, some of it sounding forced and odd. An experiment that for me, fell flat on its face.

Keanu Reeves, playing Scott, plays a street hustler in an act of rebellion against his father the mayor of the town. He befriends Mike, a narcoleptic prostitute who falls asleep on the job all the time, and who to all intents and purposes falls in love with him. They go on a road trip to find River's mother who abandoned him when he was small.

The details of Mike's parentage are appalling and the road trip takes them to a rather weird Italy and then back again to the streets where Scott turns his back on his old ways, abandoning Mike.

Uneven and actually frustrating, the dialogue was very muddy and hard to understand at times and the shifting of script from modern to Shakespeare not successful.

4 out of 10. Could be to some tastes, but not to mine.

My opinion is that 'My own private Idaho' is a masterpiece! Gus van Sant did a great job and created a very artistic movie with many truths about life.Both River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves give wonderful performances.I read some other comments too on this board and I have to say that the story, is not only about 2 male prostitutes that sell their bodies for the money.Try to catch that underlying message that each viewer interprets it in his own way.In the way HE feels it.The movie gets really sad at the end but it makes you realize a lot of things.In this road of life that "...goes around the world..." you get hurt, betrayed, you believe, you hope, you pay, you earn, you lose, you win...that road never ends.

Film about two hustlers in Portland--Mike Waters (River Phoenix) who's narcoleptic and more experienced Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves). They become friends. Waters is desperate to find his biological mother who abandoned him and Favor is rejecting the rich family he was bought up in. They grow closer and closer and start to fall in love...but they're both str8 or are they?

VERY strange but interesting. I had trouble understanding it at first but I eventually figured it out. The acting by the late Phoenix (who was taken from us at far too young an age) is great while Reeves is just OK. Beautifully directed by Gus Van Sant. Also despite the film is about two male hustlers there's very little nudity or sexual content. Strange but intriguing.

I'm not quite sure what to make of 'My Own Private Idaho.' I am aware of it's huge cult following and that makes me want to like it more than I did, or at least give some thought as to why I didn't think as highly of it as many others did.

Gus Van Sant is a hit or miss director - Drugstore Cowboy, To Die For, and Good Will Hunting were all excellent, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and his Psycho remake were horrendous - and I hate to say that I'm leaning more towards the miss column with 'My Own Private Idaho.' The best way I can put this film is that it seems like there are too many cooks making the soup and all the ingredients have been served better. Van Sant wants to make this a road movie, a comedy, a coming-of-age movie, a Shakespeare play, a surreal picture... I feel like he's taken the best elements of 'Easy Rider', 'Pixote', and 'Henry V' and mangled them.

River Phoenix is excellent though, he's the best part of the film and I give the credit solely to him. Why? Because ever other performance just isn't very good. Reeves seems uncomfortable in almost every scene whether it's quoting Shakespeare or lying shirtless in bed with Phoenix, he can't pull off what this movie wants. Neither can Richert as the leader of the band of hustlers - who comes across so over the top and theatrical that as a contrast to Phoenix's mellow/realistic hustler it just doesn't work. The problem with taking dialogue straight from Henry IV is for one it's awfully hard to top the Bard for writing. Two; you need actors who can deliver it well.

Van Sant has imagination and the visuals in the film are breathtaking. The movie starts off extremely well, but it's obvious that he had little control of the script or the actors and in the end that kills the movie.

Very surprising that Phoenix didn't pick up an Oscar nomination.

"My Own Private Idaho" is the movie, in my opinion, that showed the true talent of River Phoenix. I was sitting on the couch one night flipping through the channels and saw that River was in it and I thought "Why not? Hes a good actor". This movie absolutely blew me away. Its this sad and heartful story abut a young boy who is abandoned and is thrown into a life he never should of fathomed of having. He has to sell him self just to get a meal. This movie has touched so many hearts and inspires so many!! River isn't the only great actor, Keanu Reeves does a wonderful supportive job. His character is a rebel against his political dad (trying to make him look bad...typical teenager!!). His and River's paths of live cross and they become traveling buddies!!Its a movie that you'll never forget and i think it becomes more powerful as the years go on. I have to say, movie lovers really do miss River Phoenix. He was a great person and hopefully he adchieved all that he wanted to.

Gus Van Sant's script, inspired by Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part I," is a fairly interesting updating of the classic tale. In what has become his "legendary, signature" performance, River Phoenix delivers a fascinating character study. Keanu Reeves ably supports Phoenix in this subculture setting of various street denizens on Portland, Oregon. Van Sant certainly set a challenge for himself in attempting this modern retelling, and he seems considerably more comfortable as director than as writer. Since this film was made, Reeves has gone on to do some more ambitious work.

In this amazing film there are a lot of symbolic images that are the keys to understand it. Mike Waters is a young drifter who works as a male prostitute. He has had a very difficult childhood because his mother was mentally ill and he discovers, but maybe he had always known, that his brother is his father. This is probably the cause of his narcolepsy. He don't succeed in overcoming his past and the narcolepsy, making him fall suddenly asleep, takes him away from the real life and brings him in the life he always have dreamt, exactly his own private Idaho. In fact Mike, in the beginning and in the end of the film awakens on the street for the Idaho because this is the place where all is problems have starts and from which he has to restart if he wants to go on. The street is one of the symbolic images: he can decide to cross it, going on with is real life, or ramain at the point of starting. Another symbolic image is that of leaping fish that try to sail up a stream that reflect just his impossibility to overcome his past. This film is surely the greatest Gus Vas Sant's one , one of my favourite director. A shocking drama of uncommon strength and beauty. The actors are the best they would have been, River Phoenix is superlative (this is his greatest performance too and I am very happy that he had been rewarded with the `Coppa Volpi' just in my country, Italy), Keanu Reeves gives also a good performance in a very complex role, Udo Kier gives great charm and charisma to his character and James Russo a strong dramatic charge. The cinematography is excellent as well as the soundtrack through which song there is the beautiful Madonna's song `Cherish' that stress the Mike's search of a person who loves him (who cherishes him), a man or a woman this does't matters. During the films all his hope seem to be shattered but the end of the film leaves an open door to different interpretations: Make falling asleep and being bundled into a car by a stranger…..he will finally go on and find a person that cares for him or he comes back again to Idaho?

A rather atypical film, about broken destinies due to belonging to dysfunctional families. It is a hard film, in which the decay of the human being is put under the microscope. All the characters are severely affected by childhood traumas, Mike by the lack of a mother who seems to have serious mental problems, Sckot by the existence of a domineering father, controller, possessive and manipulative, etc. I didn't like the atmosphere of the movie which is very dark, heavy. The dialogues are broken, discontinuous, often illogical or metaphorical, which is why you have to wait to solve the riddle of what happened. But the actors transposed well in the roles they received and managed to be very convincing. I don't want to see such a movie again!

My Own Private Idaho is definitely underrated, those who have seen it either love it or do not want to see it again.

River Phoenix plays Mike, a gay Narcoleptic hustler trying to find his mother and a place to belong. Keanu Reeves plays Scott, a rich boy just wasting his time hustling until he qualifies for his family's inheritance. These two are friends, looking for the same sort of thing, love and to belong.

I first stumbled across the film at 18, it was on T.V. and my dad quickly turned the station over from the start of the film. Curious, I rented the movie and although I do not usually watch films about drug-use and hustling and homosexuality, I like dark dramas so I instantly loved the film in all its glory.

I have been a fan of River for two years now, I absolutely adore him, this is one of his best films.

Keanu, I think, is a little less of an actor, though I thought he did terrific as Scott.

You don't have to be gay or interested in drugs or hustling, anyone can relate to wanting to find love and to belong somewhere in the world. This film belongs with the best!

I do like the weird movies but sometimes they can go to far. This one went to far. There was never a point where I got interested. I just sort of watched until it was over with. This is a low grade Magnolia. In Magnolia, I was interested in the characters and where things would end up. There were better performances and a better understanding of what was going on. Here, I didn't know what was going on and didn't care. There never really was a story or plot and there was nothing to get interested about. The only good consistent thing about this movie is River Phoenix's performance. If this movie had been better, he might have been nominated for an Oscar. River Phoenix is truly one of the greatest actors to die before his time. His story is tragic b/c of how great a talent he was, and how we were robbed of what other things he could have done before his untimely death. If you're a fan of Phoenix, you might like this, but it just doesn't come together for me. I like Van Sant, I like Phoenix, I just don't like this movie. It happens! Oh well.

The Movie in General was ok but the objective of a movie is to let know the audience clear what is the message and in this case i got confused what he really wanted to deliver. Not to mention the story was immersed in a social point somewhere in Portland where Hustling was as always present in a middle populated city of the United States of the West! River Phoenix acting was just normal and Keanu Reeves was much better even the subject of homosexuality was not well shown . In few words I think this is not the best movies I ever seen, it misses a lot of sense in the direction and the end was not even satisfactory!