[19], The film was not storyboarded and was made without a shot list. Finally, Mike is back on the deserted stretch of Idaho highway. "[40] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[41]. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. Waters suffers from narcolepsy and can fall asleep at any moment and in almost any circumstance. The. Copyright Fandango. Released in 1991, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho painted a bleak picture of a Portland of street prostitutes and violence. Mike identifies more as gay, while Scott identifies more as straight, seeing his sexual encounters with male clients solely business. Now, that's as far as I remember, and that shouldn't hold you back from getting this little gem of early 90s cinema. The direction is excellent, as the movie grows on the viewer as the story unfolds. I had forgotten how much I loved him. Still, like I said, the effort comes closer to rewarding than it would have in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, and if it had less solid style to overplay. "[38] 1h 42m, Distributor: The third element was a short story Van Sant wrote called "In a Blue Funk," about the River Phoenix character being picked up by a German man and kept in a house. In one of the most significant scenes, his best friend. It is almost hallucinatory, how one can be in Idaho today and Italy tomorrow, and have no money in either place, but if you make an object out of yourself, then people with more money and stronger wills are able to take you wherever they choose. Navigating a volatile world of junkies, thieves, and johns, Mike takes Scott on a quest along the grungy streets and open highways of the Pacific Northwest, in search of an elusive place called home. Lgbtq+. Later in life however, Favor has joined mainstream society and has little time for his old friend. [47] Phoenix was the Best Actor runner-up in the 1991 New York Film Critics Circle awards and received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, becoming the second-youngest winner of the former. My Own Private Idaho represents the shotgun marriage of two individual stories that, like Mike and Scott themselves, don't really belong together: a road movie about Mike's fruitless search . My Own Private Idaho is considered a landmark film in New Queer Cinema, an early 1990s movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking. Landmark Film for New Queer Cinema of the 1990s. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Neither background would account for the strange existence they now share, drifting through the automobiles and bedrooms of strangers, acting out fantasy roles, spending long hours in coffee shops, smoking and talking and killing time. River Phoenix was an extra-ordinary actor. Having watched the campsite scene again in My Own Private Idaho, I noticed Phoenix's body-language, and his improvisation acting skills and intonation, and i realised that he (Phoenix) was one of the greatest actors in the history of motion pictures. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. I love the cameos made by actual hustlers from the streets of Portland, OR. "I always know where I am by the way that the road looks. They have no concept. Who am Ia politician? After he falls into another narcoleptic stupor, two strangers pull up in a truck, take his backpack and shoes, and drive away. Winning three, it tied with Rambling Rose for the most awards.[50]. After Drugstore Cowboy received favorable critical raves and awards, studios started to show some interest,[11] but they all wanted revisions. . Keanu Reeves is adequate, but nowhere near the brilliance of Phoenix. I bought the Blu-ray version. Stafford won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film Music in 1992 for his score. Among the group, Mike and Scott are best friends. Phoenix kept trying to convince him, going so far as to bring Van Sant to Richert's house for a reading of the screenplay. 1991 Directed by Gus Van Sant. With the money they receive from Hans, Mike and Scott travel to Italy. I've never seen anybody so intent on living his role". "[31] Vincent Canby, in his New York Times review, wrote, "The performances, especially by the two young stars, are as surprising as they are sure. Dark & strange subject matter is explored in a light & colorful way. [15] He got an offer of $2 million from an outside investor but when he put off production for nine months so that Phoenix could make Dogfight, the investor and his money disappeared. This is brave movie making. A couple of weeks ago I was going through some movies on my computer. Surreal & colorfully shot. - Bob Pigeon: I'd give a thousand dollars to be able to run as fast as you can. Although the central characters are prostitutes, the movie is not really about sex, which does not interest either Mike or Scott very much. Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2015, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Blu-ray, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, DTS Surround Sound, Surround Sound, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo. [21] When asked if he was worried that playing a gay prostitute might hurt his public image, Reeves said, "Hurt my image? Drama, Overall, the film is either seriously underdeveloped or seriously overblown, to the point of providing both unevenness in focus and pacing, as well as tone, and a feel for certain natural shortcomings that are brought more to life by much too much overstylization, which hold the final product shy of a rewarding state that is still all but achieved, thanks to the solid soundtrack, handsome cinematography, immersive taste in location, and worthy subject matter that is driven by highlights in Gus Van Sant's scripting and direction, and by many a strong performance, - the strongest of which being courtesy of the charming Keanu Reeves and the outstanding River Phoenix - that make "My Own Private Idaho" an entertaining, often biting and all around borderline, if only borderline rewarding human drama. Although Keanu Reeves is better than usual as Scott, it's the late River Phoenix who is absolutely mesmerizing in his role as Mike. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. Visually dazzling and thematically groundbreaking, My Own Private Idaho is a deeply moving look at unrequited love and life on societys margins. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Another source (to which Van Sant had already given the title "My Own Private Idaho") was another screenplay about street hustlers, one older and one younger, who travel to Spain looking for one's mother. To add the following enhancements to your purchase, choose a different seller. Be the first to contribute. He is picked up by a wealthy older woman, who takes him to her mansion, where he finds two fellow hustlers she also hired. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant. "My Own Private Idaho" is an imaginary place where one is locked in the arms of lovethat is, both protected and free. Phoenix's powerful performance, the last one that he would deliver in his tragically brief lifetime, carries the film when really allowed to flesh out, and I wish that more of the film was nearly as inspired, but, with that said, there's enough inspiration to style and substance for the final product to at least border on rewarding, even though it could have gone so much further. [43], In 2015, The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray, based on a restored 4K digital transfer. He didn't pare it down. Richard tells a story of a man he claims is Mike's father, but Mike says that he knows it is Richard. [9] Van Sant had another script, The Boys of Storytown, containing the Mike and Scott characters, as well as Hans and Bob; Van Sant wanted to make the film but felt the script was unfinished. Scott's father dies, and Scott inherits his fortune. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. The idea to combine the two scenarios occurred to Van Sant after seeing Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight. So instead he made Drugstore Cowboy, about a roving band of junkies who rob pharmaciesa premise with more mainstream appeal, apparently. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. He misses most of the crucial developments in his own life, and must depend on the kindness of strangers even to pull him out of the middle of the road. Email address. For one thing, it was only 70 pages long, which would translate to about a 70-minute movie. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "The achievement of this film is that it wants to evoke that state of drifting need, and it does. What is the Hindi language plot outline for My Own Private Idaho (1991)? The two stars (Reeves,Phoenix) took a major gamble as starring as said Rent boys. This DVD set is accompanied by an illustrated 64-page-booklet featuring previously published articles, interviews with cast and crew, new essays by JT LeRoy and Amy Taubin, a 1991 article by Lance Loud, and reprinted interviews with Gus Van Sant, River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. Scottie leaves the streets because he inherits his money. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant. It really rings true. That night, Bob has a fatal heart attack. Van Sant offered images of homosexuals that were as complex and deep as . During a lunch break one day, Van Sant turned the camera on these guys and interviewed them, hoping to inspire the cast with some authenticity. Eventually this teen turns into an adult who often is a reflection of what the child acquired or missed during the years of parental rearing. Expect More. The movie's visuals are very haunting with the music with scenes of salmon going upstream, rolling clouds and sunset, barns falling from the sky and scenes of the Pacific Northwest and Italy. William Richert was a writer and director who'd made A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, in which Phoenix played the title character. My Own Private Idaho (1991) Rated R For Strong Sensuality, Profanity and Drug Use 105 minutes Cast Rodney Harvey as Gary River Phoenix as Mike Waters Chiara Caselli as Carmella William Richert as Bob Pigeon Keanu Reeves as Scott Favor James Russo as Richard Waters Produced by Laurie Parker Photographed by Eric Alan Edwards John Campbell Music by And Gus kept the whole thing. 104. That's those independent film guys for you. [6] Rechy's novel inspired Van Sant to change the setting to Portland. My Own Private Idaho (1991) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Gus Van Sant Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Bill Stafford Cinematography by Film Editing by Curtiss Clayton Production Design by David Brisbin Art Direction by Kenneth Hardy Set Decoration by Laurie Parker, Writer: One falls in love with a girl and leaves the other behind. He recorded various arrangements for the film, including instrumental adaptations of "Home on the Range" and "America the Beautiful". My Own Private Idaho. Moments later, an unidentified figure pulls up in a car, picks the unconscious Mike up, places him in the vehicle, and drives away. Terms and Policies I still haven't seen "Stand By Me" to this day. 74, but the song did far better in the clubs: the tune ascended all the way to No. In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen praised Phoenix's performance: "The campfire scene in which Mike awkwardly declares his unrequited love for Scott is a marvel of delicacy. (Parker wasn't narcoleptic, though another friend of Van Sant's was.) IT FEATURES A PERSON PRETENDING TO BE A STATUE. . The movie takes place in Portland, Ore., and the open spaces of the Pacific Northwest - the same territory covered by "Drugstore Cowboy," Van Sant's previous picture. Directed by. Picture 8/10. anr filma: Drama. The common defense for the trope is that it allows queer artists to share stories of their identity without legal and social repercussion, however, the use of it arguably has negative effects of queer audience members. It is heartbreaking for me at the end of the movie as he's lost his love and best friend, his mother abandoned him, he's homeless and then two guys steal what he has left, his bag and his shoes while he's asleep. Phoenix described his process as his "own stream-of-consciousness, and this just happened to be one that was more than actor notes. Shoot, you can keep your potatoes and wolves, because if I was to privatize my own state, I don't know if I would go with Idaho, although it is better than Iowa. "He had decided that that scene was his character's main scene and, with Keanu's permission, he wrote it out to say something that it wasn't already saying It was his explanation of his character. Now the film became, at least in part, about unrequited love, adding another tragic element to it. It's a long scene." "My Own Private Idaho"(1991) is directed by Gus Van Sant(Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester). Sign up. [19] Several cast and crew members, including Michael Parker, Phoenix, Reeves, and Flea, lived together in a house in Portland during filming. Phoenix received several awards for his performance in the film, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 1991 Venice Film Festival, Best Male Lead from the Independent Spirit Awards, and Best Actor from the National Society of Film Critics. The film is about two street hustlers, one (Mike - River Phoenix) of whom has narcolepsy and is continually falling asleep wherever that may be, and the "My Own Private Idaho"(1991) is directed by Gus Van Sant(Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester). R. Starring River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo. 17+. The directing and acting is excellent. An absorbing movie in a great new Criterion issue, Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2016. Is this what you think of me? Van Sant's script is something of a mess with its overstylized structuring which thins down exposition and bloats filler to the point of serious focal unevenness, but its wit gets it by a long way on the back of sharp, sometimes pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue, and certain genuinely thoughtful moments in characterization and dramatic set piece crafting, sold by direction that is just as effectively thoughtful. To achieve the effect of magazine cover boys on the newsstand coming to life and talking to each other, Van Sant went old-school. Back in Portland, Bob and his gang confront a reformed Scott at a fashionable restaurant, but he rejects them. I had forgotten how much I loved him. My Own Private Idaho had its premiere at the 48th Venice International Film Festival, and received largely positive reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert and those of The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. Style isn't the only thing placed over focus in this film, as filler all too often claims the focus of the narrative, thinning it, until storytelling slips into bland aimlessness that would be less frustrating if all of this bloating didn't eventually lead to unevenness. He had the magazine covers mocked up on large panels of Plexiglass, then had the actors stand behind them. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. Rea, Steven. My Own Private Idaho premiered at the 48th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 1991. This story is like a stream-of-consciousness biography of the two main characters. Watch an exclusive clip of a conversation between Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant below: Movies Interviews Evergreen Want more. 2.75/5 - Decent. The way Van Sant wrote it, the scene where Mike and Scott sit around a campfire in the desert, where Mike confesses his love for Scott, was a three-page scene with no such declaration. It is about street life and hustling, homelessness and marginalization, homosexuality, and friendship, and much more. Watching the film, I was reminded of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, in which Raskolnikov, the murderer of the old lady, suffers from epileptic seizures. [5], Early drafts of the screenplay were set on Hollywood Boulevard, not Portland, with working titles such as Blue Funk and Minions of the Moon. Later, after being fellated by a client in Seattle, Mike returns to his favorite spots to pick up clients. Mike secretly loves Scott, and Scott, the son of Portland's wealthy mayor, secretly yearns to cast off the friendship of his fellow lowlifes and assume his birthright of wealth, power and respectability. 7.0 1 h 44 min 1991 X-Ray R. Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix star in director Gus Van Sant's seminal meditation on the nature of innocence as two young men living on the fringes of society peddle their bodies for sex. Mike's search for his mother takes them all the way from Portland, Oregon to Rome, Italy. River Phoenix (Stand by Me) and Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) star in this haunting tale from Gus Van Sant (Mala Noche), about two young street hustlers: Mike Waters, a sensitive narcoleptic who dreams of the mother who abandoned him, and Scott Favor, the wayward son of the mayor of Portland and the object of Mikes desire. But this is a desperate imposition on an essentially inert film. (@doubtmag) on Instagram: "My Own Private Idaho (1991) dir. Roles of this density, for young actors, do not come by that often". Man, Van Sant sure loves him some Portland, about as much as men, and he was able to put gay themes in here, so I reckon this is a definitive film for him. Still he resisted. New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy. My Own Private Idaho Edit Summaries 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. The sheer, expressive beauty of those images haunted me for days. 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. Mike is like a holy fool or a clown, and his only real attachment is to Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves), another hustler. [9] Van Sant got the idea for Mike's narcolepsy from a man who was a guide of sorts when the director was gathering material for the film and who always looked like he was about to fall asleep. 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