My Own Private Idaho (1991) directed by Gus Van Sant

[reviews_and_ramblings]

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.

Director: Gus Van Sant

Writers: William Shakespeare (play "Henry IV"), Gus Van Sant

Release Date: September 1991 (Venice Film Festival, Italy)
27 September 1991 (New York Film Festival, USA)

Genres: Drama, Romance

Storyline: In Gus Van Sant’s masterpiece of homosexual longing, River Phoenix pines over fellow hustler Keanu Reeves. A modern gay classic. From the acclaimed director Gus Van Sant comes this widly adventurous road movie for the 90′s starring America’s hottest young male stars: River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as two young hustlers who discover friendship and adventure on the twisting, turning road of life. Phoenix is Mike, a narcoleptic street hustler haunted by his idyllic memories of childhood and obsessed with finding his estranged mother. Reeves is Scott, a runaway rich kid who’s on a personal “crusade” to find the meaning of life, biding his time until he inherits his father’s estate. Together they’re lost in a bizarre world of wealthy strangers and stranger than life adventures. They set out to survive the odyssey but along the way come to understand each other and their place in the world, learning life’s lessons as only the road can teach.

Awards: 1991 Critics Award to Gus Van Sant, Deauville Film Festival
1992 Independent Spirit Award as Best Film Music to Bill Stafford, as Best Male Lead to River Phoenix, as Best Screenplay to Gus Van Sant
1992 Independent Spirit Award Nomination as Best Cinematography to Eric Alan Edwards & John J. Campbell, as Best Director to Gus Van Sant, as Best Feature to Laurie Parker
1992 National Society of Film Critics Award as Best Actor to River Phoenix
1993 Nova Award as Most Promising Producer in Theatrical Motion Pictures to Laurie Parker, PGA Awards
1991 International Critics' Award to Gus Van Sant, Toronto International Film Festival
1991 Coppa Volpi as Best Actor to River Phoenix, Venice Film Festival
1991 Leone d'Oro Nomination to Gus Van Sant

@IMDb
@Amazon: Is It Just Me? (2010)
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video

 







 

Cast (in credits order)
River Phoenix ... Mike Waters
Keanu Reeves ... Scott Favor
James Russo ... Richard Waters
William Richert ... Bob Pigeon
Rodney Harvey ... Gary
Chiara Caselli ... Carmella
Michael Parker ... Digger
Jessie Thomas ... Denise
Flea ... Budd
Grace Zabriskie ... Alena
Tom Troupe ... Jack Favor
Udo Kier ... Hans
Sally Curtice ... Jane Lightwork
Robert Lee Pitchlynn ... Walt
Mickey Cottrell ... Daddy Carroll
Wade Evans ... Wade
Matthew Ebert ... Coverboy (as Matt Ebert)
Scott Patrick Green ... Coverboy / Cafe Kid
Tom Cramer ... Coverboy
Vana O'Brien ... Sharon Waters
Shaun Jordan ... Cafe Kid
Shawn Jones ... Cafe Kid
George Conner ... Bad George
Oliver Kirk ... Indian Cop
Stanley Hainsworth ... Dirtman (as Stanley Hainesworth)
Joshua Halladay ... Baby Mike
Douglas Tollenen ... Little Richard
Steven Clark Pachosa ... Hotel Manager (as Stephen Clark Pachosa)
Lannie Swerdlow ... Disco Manager
Wally Gaarsland ... Rock Promoter
Brian Wilson ... Rock Promoter (as Bryan Wilson)
Mark Weaver ... Rock Promoter
Conrad 'Bud' Montgomery ... Rock Promoter
Pat Patterson ... Cop
Steve Vernelson ... Cop
Mike Cascadden ... Cop
Eric Hull ... Mayor's Aide
James A. Arling ... Minister
James Caviezel ... Airline Clerk
Ana Cavinato ... Stewardess
Melanie Mosely ... Lounge Hostess
Greg Murphy ... Carl
David Reppinhagen ... Yuppie at Jake's
Tiger Warren ... Himself
Massimo Di Cataldo ... Italian Street Boy
Pao Pei Andreoli ... Italian Street Boy
Robert Egon ... Italian Street Boy
Paolo Baiocco ... Italian Street Boy
Mario Stracciarolo ... Mike's Italian Client
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Heather J. Braden ... Yuppie at Jake's (uncredited)
Kirsten Kuppenbender ... Portland Street Girl (uncredited)
Jesse Merz ... Mean Kid #2 (uncredited)
Tom Peterson ... Bit Part (uncredited)
Eli Swenson ... Street Hustler - Seattle (uncredited)
Gus Van Sant ... Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)

     
Mike & Scott

Comments

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

River Phoenix was one of my favorite actors way before he did My Own Private Idaho. I was a young teenager and he was a very young actor. When he did this movie, it was released for the first time at Venice Film Festival and in Italy it had a very strong impact, probably since it was partly filmed in Italy. I wanted so much to see this movie, but I was only 17 years old and the movie was-rated for under 18 years old. I forced a friend of mine, one year older, to come with me to the cinema, if they indeed asked for an ID, she would have shown her, and I would have feigned to have forgotten it at home. No one asked, and we went inside. The movie was very difficult for a teenager to understand, it had a complex language, but River Phoenix was perfect and wonderful. I didn't care much for Keanu Reeves, probably since, indead, I didn't like much nor him as an actor or his character: in life and in the movie, River Phoenix was more real, more damned (that is the Italian title, Belli e Dannati, Beautiful and Damned), and when neither 2 years later he died, he left us with too many "what if" questions.

[elena-62.livejournal.com]

Hi, Elisa!

I bought the DVD quite a while ago and I never gathered the courage to see it because I expect another excellent but depressing movie... Sooner or later I'll give it a go though.

Thank you for the review.

Buona domenica da una Svizzera soleggiatissima!

Antonella

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes Antonella, it's for sure sad, and absolutely not Happily Ever After. But it's a movie worthy to be seen, only choose the right moment, when you are not in a downlow mood.

[lab-jazz.livejournal.com]

I own this movie. I brought it because it is a Gay cinema "cult" movie and because it starred River Phoenix.
But I have to say I didn't like it at all :(

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I think this is one of those movies you like for different reason (mine was River Phoenix), but it's not a movie easy to like or understand. I'm not sure I'd have seen it if not for the actor, when it came out the director was almost a newby (he had done, if I remember well, only Drugstore Cowboy).

[edenwinters.livejournal.com]

While I'd heard the title before, I had no idea what it was about. I'm guessing I'll have to watch this one, you've gotten my attention. The last one I saw was The Fluffer, about a gay for pay porn star and the cameraman/fluffer who's obsessed by him.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

yes, that one is in my to be seen list. Did you know that the actor in the Fluffer, Andy Zeffer, wrote an almost bio on the experience of working on that set? It's Going Down in La-La land, and Casper Andreas has now directed a movie from that book. A movie from a book that tells the story of another movie ;-)

[luvenck.livejournal.com]

I watched this movie way back when it came out... more for the love of River Phoenix. I did like his character and his portrayal of him. Keanu was more complex, and it wasn't until many years later that I started liking him as an actor, and probably because of this movie.

It is a hard movie to watch, and yes, can be very depressing. But when you look at the time of the making of the movie, their type of lifestyle was probably more like that than it is now.

With the horrible death of a much to young man that had so much going for him, I have since then purchased the movie. I have always been impressed with River's acting. He caught my eye way back in "Stand By Me", which is a movie I never tire of watching. I have been a very devoted fan from then on.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I have still crystal memory of the morning I found out he was dead, I didn't believe at first, it seemed impossible. He was probably too big a soul for this world.

[lucifuge-5.livejournal.com]

Ah, this movie brings back so many memories . . .

I was in my mid-teens when it premiered. It was considered "too shocking" to be shown in the regular cinemas so, I had to go to an 'alternative', i.e., independent, theater. I went to see it because of both River and Keanu.

From what I can remember, I was very moved by it despite its non-HEA ending. I loved the look, the many layers to the relationship between Mike and Scott and the strange people around them.

Have watched it a few times since then though I'm reluctant to buy the DVD though I don't know why.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

It's a controversial movie, not easy to understand and like. In Italy it was also x-rated for under 18, that is the maximum you can put as a limit. I have the videotape, never bought the DVD, so it's a bit I don't see it, but still it has left me a strong impression.

[thetammyjo.livejournal.com]

This is one of my favorite movies.