Review of My Own Private Idaho (1991) by Jens T — 18 Dec 2011

Gus Van Sant's indie classic My Own Private Idaho is a good portrayal of the Seattle street hustler ensnarement where we follow the young gigolo Mike Waters (River Phoenix) who often suffers from narcolepsy attacks, he has one obsession and hope in life, and that is to find his mother in able to get back on track. He gets much support by his fellow hustler friend Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) who's actually the son of a rich businessman.

My Own Private Idaho is actually loosely based William Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V. This movie tries to be in multiple genres and art forms. Some times it's a basic indie drama, sometimes it seems like a documentary because many of the male prostitutes tells stories that are from the heart. And some times it's a full blooded theater play where the characters have a Shakespearean battle of word. But all this seems very confusing to me, or maybe it's because of a to depressive outcome. The characters are pretty colorful and interesting, specially the appearance of Udo Kier as Hans who seems to take an extra liking to the two boys. My conclusion about this film is that is a film that is creative, but that it might get a little out of hand. But I give this a marginal thumbs up.