My Own Private

My Own Private
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My Own Private Idaho
(1991)

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Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.
Mike Waters lives on the street and befriends the somewhat older and streetwise Scott Favor who shows him what is necessary to survive. Waters suffers from narcolepsy and can fall asleep at any moment and in almost any circumstance. Favor comes from a rich family and is rebelling against his own background. They travel together extensively - Waters is driven by the need to find his biological mother - and spend time in Italy. Later in life however, Favor has joined mainstream society and has little time for his old friend.
Mike Waters and Scott Favor are young male hustlers (with both male and female clients) working the Pacific Northwest, they often hanging out with other young male hustlers in an abandoned building in Portland under the mentorship of an overweight homeless gay man named Bob Pigeon. Among the group, Mike and Scott are best friends. Mike identifies more as gay, while Scott identifies more as straight, seeing his sexual encounters with male clients solely business. In their friendship, Scott sees himself as Mike's protector as Mike suffers from stress induced narcolepsy, and as such Mike passes out unconscious sometimes at the most inopportune time or place, while Mike eventually admits to Scott that he loves him more than just a friend. Mike grew up in a poor and broken family environment in Idaho, with his mother, Sharon, abandoning him and his much older brother Richard when Mike was a child, her whereabouts unknown. Especially when he is unconscious, Mike often has an idealized view of his mother. Scott grew up in a house of privilege as the son of the current Portland mayor, with his street life a manifestation of the rebellion against the oppression of that privilege. Feeling he is maturing, Scott contemplates giving up the street life when he turns twenty-one to collect his trust. Mike and Scott will do almost anything for the other, but under the circumstances of the different view of their own future, their friendship may have a limited shelf life.
Surreal character study focusing on the friendship between two male hustlers, Mike and Scott, in Portland, Oregon. They live on the streets, do drugs, and sell themselves to men and women. Mike is quiet, gay and suffers from narcolepsy. Abandoned as a child, he is obsessed with finding his long-lost mother. Scott is the rebellious son of a high-ranking family, who lives this life mostly to embarrass his father. Mike is in love with Scott, who still maintains he is straight and insists that his wild lifestyle on the streets is only temporary. Together, they embark on a quest to find Mike's mother, traveling from Portland to Idaho to Italy, with Scott picking up a beautiful girl along the way.
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Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix star in Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant's seminal meditation on the nature of innocence as two young men living on the fringes of society.
Directors Gus Van Sant Starring River Phoenix , Keanu Reeves , James Russo Genres Drama Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English
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Gus Van Sant - director See profile
Supporting actors William Richert , Rodney Harvey , Chiara Caselli , Michael Parker , Jessie Thomas , more… Flea , Grace Zabriskie , Tom Troupe , Udo Kier Producers Laurie Parker Studio Warner Bros. Rating R (Restricted) Purchase rights Stream instantly Details Format Prime Video (streaming online video) Devices Available to watch on supported devices
Ian Vance Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2004
When *My Own Private Idaho* hit the rental shelves of the local movie theater way back in the early 90's, its reputation spread immediately among the young and restless of my small, conservative home-town. The consensus was of near-unanimous disgust, with common descriptions including "sick," "depraved," and that age-old chestnut "Confusing" with a capital "C." And yet my opinion was, typically, not that of the consensus. My artist's spirit identified with the wanderlust-yearning and puckish wonder inhabited in the vagabond Scott and Mike - a somewhat-sheltered mind's naïve lust for that opposite of its own experience. Although I certainly found myself shocked by the depiction of homosexual prostitution, the romantic tone and Shakespearan prose-play helped to penetrate (so to speak) this gutterpunk-fantasy firmly into the deepest reaches of my life-thirsty cerebrum; if anything, I found the homophobic snarls of my teenage compatriots in regards to this film more disturbing - on an immediate, reactionary level - than any fantastical degradation the film itself presented. Immersed in that heady sensation of nostalgia and curiosity, I looked forward to a mature re-viewing of this art house masterpiece: of filtering Van Zant's intentions through an adult lens. Accordingly, I found that which impressed me most as a child seemed less important to my current mindset, and vice versa - no longer was I wholly enraptured by the wide-shots of empty highways and the plethora of bizarre chance encounters (elements so common to life on the road): having Kerouac'ed my way across the world, I must admit to preferring my own experiences to *Idaho's* hodge-podge questing. Consequently, the depiction of street-life squalor, early 90's-era Portland style, resonated far deeper this time around: a bell-toll for the doomed. River Phoenix shines in perhaps his defining role as Mike, a homeless narcoleptic endlessly conking out in moments of stress, shivering and twitching in ecstatic remembrance of mommy dearest and sharecropper-esque glory (decrepit farmhouses and dust-bowl potato-sprawl): several scenes, including his breakdown at the fire and romper-stomp at the funeral, shine with a quicksilver talent so brilliant that it easily transcends the drug-addled ghost Phoenix was already beginning to become. As for Keanu Reeves... well, I've always been of the opinion that he is the most underrated of H-wood's golden A-list, a man with deep presence and charisma, hampered by a stoic demeanor and tonal limitations. I must admit I found it rather disconcerting to see Neo preening on the cover of a porno-rag: still, Reeve's subtle reactions to Fat Bob and Mike's outspoken coat-tail riding; his recitation of Shakespeare, Henry V style, with a cowboy twang thrown in at the pivotal tension-trigger; and finally his ascension from rebellious naïf to "master of the universe"-Reeves gives an outstanding performance, among his very best (though this may come across as an oxymoron to some - so be it). Moreover, the very tools that romanticize *Idaho's* ne'er-do-well protagonists -- Celtic rhythms, lurid colors, Ye Olde English capering - also flip-side emphasize the constant-trauma and grimy exploitation of the LCD rent-boy's raw existence, with suffering only alleviated via spurts of snorting, drinking, mischief and, perchance, a miraculous stranger's unexpected generosity. As Fat Bob and Mike's illusions of wealth-an eternal party utterly devoid of street-life cost-unravel, the subsequent denouement is immeasurably augmented by the early 'warmth' of the film, and the steady chill that seeps through the cracks, numbing body and mind, overwhelm its progression until abrupt collapse upon the desolate highway of the ending. A few noteworthy scenes: When Fat Bob coldly warns Mike about "Living on yer [arse]," the horrific undercurrent ramifications cut the usual tongue-wag riffing like a knife. Likewise, near the movie's conclusion, when Mike slumps into his ump-teenth narcoleptic fit on a filthy concrete street, the camera pans to Scott newly-settled in his seat of mobile power, enforcing the inevitable destiny of these lost souls, harlots high and low: one elevated to the highest reaches of society, the other forever abandoned to the cold stone and cold hands of the Outskirts. *My Own Private Idaho:* a paean for the lost and lonely, the gutterpunk romantic in us all. Five stars.
Mark Boysen Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2022
First off the shows inaccurate portrayal and use of narcolepsy in the story is something I couldn’t get past for one since it’s so central. People must not know or care because I don’t remember that as an issue. The story is I hear supposed to follow a Shakespeare play, but if that’s not something you are clued into, it comes off kind of less than clear at times, and always clunky. I am the minority I’m aware. I still stick with it
Yanitsa Marrero Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2022
I absolutely loved this movie and I’ve watched it numerous times. It may be difficult to understand at first, but it all comes together in the end. If you are a big fan of River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, like me, this is definitely a must-see. I loved them in this film!!
TM Conway Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Heartbreaking and innovative are the two words that come to mind. I like the subject matter which I don't think has been explored enough by other films. I wasn't a huge fan of the Shakespearian feel (mainly because I am so ignorant of the work), but the acting by the then so young Reeves and Phoenix is phenomenal. That's what kept me watching even though I felt the plot was choppy. I get that this was a low-budget project so I can excuse the flaws. I did want to know more about the peripheral characters but I guess that some of them were so easily discarded or forgotten fits with the subject matter of hustling and survival I am a huge fan of Reeves and the late Phoenix so this was interesting to watch all these years later - and for the first time. You can definitely see the potential in both actors. So heartbreaking that Phoenix didn't get to grow into his talent. This is one of those movies that I will have to watch multiple times to fully appreciate it.
Krystina Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021
I rented this because my son was asking about River Phoenix. When this young generation asks about our 80-90’s generation, I happily will throw them the knowledge. To me , this is River’s best work on the big screen. If you haven’t seen this or feeling nostalgic… definitely would recommend.
Shane Dane Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2021
Seems longer, really doesn't hold up well. Udo Kier from the yellow BMW has a hit with Swan Song, just watch that.
Watery Down Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2022
A marvellous film : music, acting, costume. Loneliness, though.
sparkle Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2021
Rented it so many times, decided to buy. If you are a Keanu Reeves or River Phoenix fan it's a must see.

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My Own Private Idaho: The cult 90s film that blazed a trail
By Emily Maskell 27th December 2021
Thirty years on, Gus Van Sant's masterpiece still astounds. With their tender performances, its two stars Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix reinvigorated the pinup ideal, writes Emily Maskell.
Reeves and Phoenix give life to these two social-outcast delinquents with an intimate seriousness
Thirty years on, the disarmingly tender camp-fire moment still resonates with ground-breaking emotional force
My Own Private Idaho took its stars to places where Hollywood wouldn't take its heartthrobs
Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix were in their 20s when they starred in Gus Van Sant's 1991 cult classic My Own Private Idaho. The two actors were already well on their way to becoming household names when they diverted from Hollywood's well-trodden path to star in Van Sant's third feature: a queer, cult and unprecedented title in both Reeves and Phoenix's filmographies.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of My Own Private Idaho, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV, and one of Van Sant's most quietly affecting titles. A moving and meditative character study, the film is an expedition of two young hustlers: Michael "Mike" Waters (River Phoenix), a narcoleptic vagabond yearning to feel the warm embrace of home, and the handsomely charming Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves), a mayor's son who is wayward and indulging in sex work as he awaits access to his bountiful inheritance. Part arthouse cinema, part unconventional road-trip movie, My Own Private Idaho makes for a pivotal – if not definitive – outlier in the pin-up lineage of Reeves and Phoenix's respective acting careers.
Gus Van Sant's 1991 cult masterpiece is full of sweeping vistas of Idaho (Credit: Alamy)
While My Own Private Idaho journeys from Portland to Idaho to Italy in search of Mike's mother, Van Sant's first stop is to spotlight the Hollywood heartthrobs in a whole new light. The first close-up glance viewers are granted of Phoenix is Mike's expression as he receives fellatio. The explicit moment precedes a barn house falling from the sky and smashing on to the wide, open road. Instantaneously, this teen idol sheds his poster-boy skin, and lurches towards the unconventionality of Van Sant's magisterial vistas of Idaho.
With a liberal attitude towards sex, sex work, and queerness, Van Sant transposed the young gleaming Hollywood stars into his indie cinematic frame. But asking viewers to empathise with the potentially unfavourable queer, social-outcast sex workers was a risk for the actors. "In 1991, even 14 years before Brokeback Mountain, the conventional Hollywood wisdom was that it was career suicide for a leading man to be identified as gay," Gavin Edwards , author of Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind, tells BBC Culture. It is as if these two actors were outrunning the trappings of Hollywood fame by venturing out of the realm of heartthrob typecasting.
The figure of the hustler – not the Richard Gere-type gigolo – serving a male clientele was not just outré, but also unconventional for mainstream 90s audiences. Midway through their journey, Scott and Mike meet one of their past customers, Hans (Udo Kier), at a hotel. After some passes in the lobby, the trio go to Hans's room and have a threesome that is shown with a mirage of quasi-stop-motion tableaux vivants . Van Sant's camera burrows at awkward angles with overlapping limbs and high-contrast shadows.
Van Sant's arthouse cinematic style is another factor that forgoes the traditional depiction of the Hollywood heartthrob. While My Own Private Idaho's DVD cover description notes how it stars "America's hottest young male stars", the film's artistic flair and unorthodox imagery is less focused on flaunting the beauty and charisma of its actors. Instead, it contorts their golden-boy image into directionless, negligent and lawless characters. This departure from leading-man conventionality was incontrovertible, as Vincent Canby , in his 1991 New York Times film review, notes: "The performances, especially by the two young stars, are as surprising as they are sure." Reeves and Phoenix paint Scott and Mike with a genuine authenticity that doesn't poke fun or reduce the characters to hollow comedic opportunities, giving life to these two social-outcast delinquents with an intimate seriousness.
The film inverted the movie pin-up idea that audiences had grown accustomed to in other ways, too. The usual floppy hairstyle and boyish charm of the Hollywood leading man are replaced by a shaggy cut paired with untamed stubble. This grungy aesthetic also blends into Beatrix Aruna Pasztor's costume design. Mike is rarely without his burnt-orange dirt-scuffed jacket. Van Sant implements this gritty-edged style throughout his cinematic world; it is a million miles away from the action hero or suave-gentleman archetype Reeves and Phoenix could have otherwise channelled.
There is a disarming tenderness in the relationship between Scott and the narcoleptic Mike (Credit: Alamy)
"It's certainly the case that there are trends in each era that come to temporarily define male imagery on the screen and that are reflective of cultural changes," Dr Karen McNally, reader in American film, television and cultural history at London Metropolitan University, tells BBC Culture. Many Hollywood movies of the 1980s presented "a hyper-masculinity of the Reagan era. Michael Douglas's entitled white masculinity in Wall Street and Fatal Attraction and the aggressive physicality of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger became emblems of the hyper-male politics and culture of the 1980s." It was this hardened masculinity, one that was unmoving and stoic, sitting at the intersection of mystery and virility, that Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho went on to undermine. From the physical closeness of the two characters to Mike's physical weakness with narcolepsy, the brutish male is non-existent here.
The pair's previous film roles had been accessible and wide in appeal. While Reeves starred
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