My Own Private Idaho | | Cast : | River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves | | Director : | Gus Van Sant | | Studio : | Criterion Collection | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 18, 1991 | | DVD Released Date : | March 01, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | Astonishing, haunting... | Content
 | My Own Private Idaho, a drama loosely based off of William Shakespeare's "Henry IV", parts one and two is a hearty look into the lives of some boys out on the street. What comes from Shakespeare's play is the concept of a young man avoiding following his father's footsteps as a government leader by keeping disreputable company and then abandoning his friends after inheriting his father's fortune, picking up a wife in a foreign country, and starting a political career. But that's not the only focus of the film, you see. The two main characters in the story, Mike (River Pheonix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves), are observed as their relationship crumbles once Scott leaves the hustler lifestyle. My Own Private Idaho isn't about being a male prostitute, though, even if there is some great documentary-like pieces of their lifestyle scattered within.
I thought it was very well-rounded and had some wonderful characters, especially Mike, the homosexual narcoleptic searching for meaning. He was often unpredictable and gets the viewer truly engaged in the film, or at least he got me into it. The settings and transitions were rather haunting, as well. There are re-occurring themes of being on the go and oblivion perfectly expressed by the scenes of Mike laying in the middle of a completely deserted road in Idaho. He keeps telling himself how familiar it all seems...so familiar.
Well-acted and scripted and brilliantly directed (with fine use of colour, recurring motifs and bold credits), Idaho possesses a rare, dream-like quality. The music too is excellent, particularly in the perfect first and final scenes. You'll never listen to The Pogues' "The Old Main Drag" without thinking of this movie and of its central figure: Mike appearing from the left of the frame with only a black bag and a stopwatch, of the fireside scene, and of the final line: "This road will never end. It probably goes all... around...the world..."
Whatever you think about Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, Gus Van Sant, or Portland, this is an intelligent, thought-provoking, and inspirational film of the 1990s. Though some may not be able to appreciate it (just don't "get it"), I highly recommend My Own Private Idaho to those looking for something with a different scope on life. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 13, 2005 | | Summary | " I Have Tasted This Road." | Content
| Having just seen this movie once 14 years ago, it's a more enjoyable experience to watch it again, because I can understand and relate to this movie better than I did when I was a teen. This film is very similar to the recent Mysterious Skin, except it's not sexually daring enough, but it succeeds as a great "coming of age" gay drama. This movie belongs to River Phoenix, beause he gets to deliver the more heavy duty sexual and emotional scenes, while Keanu Reeves often times seem very fake dued to his mediocre undertrainned acting skills. Udo Kier was very good in a supporting role, he played one of the two hustlers(Phoenix and Reeves) client.
The film chronicles the street life and friendship of Mike(Phoenix) and Scott(Reeves), and how they gradually fade away from each other's life at major pivotal points. Scott is about to inherit a lot of money and business from his dying father and he must abandon the street life by his 21st birthday, and return home to become a good son so he can redemn his status. Meanwhile, Mike is falling apart emotionally, and he continues to turn tricks on the street and abuses cocaine. He's depressed and longed to find his mother who had abandoned him when he was an enfant. His father tells him that someone else is his biological father, and gave him the information of his mother's whereabout. He would journey across the state and all the way to Italy in hoping to find her....
This film has one memorable whimsical and sexy moment when Mike and Scott fantasized about being on the cover of some porno magazine covers along with numerous other sexy hustlers on various covers, they start to talk on the covers. The Shakespear style group scenes didn't feel right for this movie, since the individual scenes were more captivating. I was very touched by Phoenix' emotionally impacting performance. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 24, 2005 | | Summary | Shakespeare at it's finest...no seriously | Content
| Second only to "Starnge Brew" as my favorite modern skewed interpretation of classic Shakespeare, "My own Private Idaho" is something very rare and entirely special.
It is, in a word, Unique.
It explores a pretty much previously ignored or at least unexplored culture of street hustlers in Portland - one of those early Nineties Mecca's for disenfranchised youth - with an eye for reality while using a number of completely original devices to propel the story.
To compare it to some films of similar theme:
It's a bigger story than "The Basket-Ball Diaries" in scope and execution.
It's not even remotely as bleak as "Kids" despite the fact that the protagonist and his fellows are leading the most desperate and precarious lives you can imagine.
In the end you feel like perhaps you have watched something worth watching for once. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 05, 2005 | | Summary | for filmmakers, good bonus | Content
| when i first started watching the bonus features dvd, i was disappointed. The behind the scenes video was ok, but i guess i had been hoping for more. The interview with rain and the producer felt awkward. But then i listened to the 2 hour interview with van sant. It was exactly what i had been hoping for - an insightful look at the process of making movies that give actors freedom, working with small crews, blocking, etc. Even though it is audio only it is a godsend for filmmakers who like Van Sant's work. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 24, 2005 | | Summary | Not that great | Content
| I thought River Phoenix did a very good job acting. Keanu Reeves was his usual terrible self. I didn't like the direction in this movie. At one point they're in one location and a second later they're in Italy. Then there's this crazy man named Bob who makes no sense and yet he takes up 10% of the film. The scene where Phoenix is cleaning the man's apartment is disturbing and lasts too long. |
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