His own art is a symptom of both trends, which might explain why a movie like My Own Private Idaho now registers as a strange artifact, off-kilter and … When Gus Van Sant first tried to get My Own Private Idaho made, following the critical success of his film Drugstore Cowboy, the film’s overt sexual themes and a … My Own Private Idaho is an interesting mix of acting, directing, setting, and subject matter. Trailer JustWatch. 1991 Directed by Gus Van Sant. Mike Waters, the young drifter played by River Phoenix in Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho," is a narcoleptic. My Own Private Idaho is an interesting mix of acting, directing, setting, and subject matter. In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. The film is a reinterpretation of 1 Henry IV and 2 Henry IV, both in plot and (occasionally) in actual dialogue. Synopsis Wherever, whatever, have a nice day. 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. A character study about a young street hustler's search for home and family, the film incorporates parts of William Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2.. Written and Directed by Gus Van Sant. There's a lot of interesting things going on with My Own Private Idaho. It is an interesting watch but the elements don't cohere very well or make for a solid movie. My Own Private Idaho. Mike wants to find his mother and family, but how or why he left them is never discussed. Mike Waters, the young drifter played by River Phoenix in Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho," is a narcoleptic. The toughness of both films, the director’s obvious empathy for alienated adolescents, and his talent for getting shockingly genuine performances from his actors helped him land the teenage idols Phoenix and Reeves for My Own Private Idaho. A character study about a young street hustler's search for home and family, the film incorporates parts of William Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2.. A lot of the father figure issues that you mention are traced back to no one other than William Shakespeare. The third was actually titled "My Own Private Idaho", and was about an early version of the Mike character as a hustler, who gets picked up by a German auto parts salesman and "kept" at his house. Written and Directed by Gus Van Sant. "My Own Private Idaho" is about finding a home. Conversely, USA Today gave My Own Private Idaho two and half stars out of four, criticizing Van Sant's film for being "nothing but set pieces; tossed into a mix whose meaning is almost certainly private". I loved it." The "Private Idaho" in the film is the visions that Mike occasionally sees in his mind. Ending: A random crap film, showing the friendship of Mike and Scott, who each pass the time and make a few bucks as male prostitutes in Seattle, living on the streets and using drugs when they've got … Ending / spoiler for My Own Private Idaho (1991), plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Heartfelt insight into the seedy world of underground male prostitutes with Shakespeare. It is an interesting watch but the elements don't cohere very well or make for a solid movie. Van Sant said he found out his producers had committed to making My Own Private Idaho when other filmmakers told him, "Congratulations, they're skipping our … A lot of the father figure issues that you mention are traced back to no one other than William Shakespeare. The title My Own Private Idaho was inspired by the B-52's song "Private Idaho," although the film has little in common with the song. Therefore it can be said that Mike is "living in his own private Idaho"--an Idaho … 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.