TheLittleSongbird
Having liked/loved some of Gus Van Sant's other work (i.e. 'Good Will Hunting'), as someone who thinks that Keanu Reeves has given good performances in his career and who absolutely adores River Phoenix in 'Stand By Me' (one of the greatest child performances ever to me), as well as being intrigued by the story's themes, 'My Own Private Idaho' quickly went on my ever growing "to see" list.Finally seeing 'My Own Private Idaho' was well worth the wait and watch. It is definitely understandable as to why it won't click, and hasn't done, with some, it is a very love it or hate it film and has its uneven moments. However it is even easier to see why people find so appealing about it, namely the acting, how the film looks and how the themes are dealt with.Getting the faults out of the way, 'My Own Private Idaho's' biggest fault is the middle act. Here the film does meander, with some dull stretches and narratively it becomes less cohesive. The Shakespearean dialogue is sometimes clever and funny, but too often it also jars and comes over clumsily.However, 'My Own Private Idaho' is filled with exquisite images, the cinematography being both dream-like and gritty and the scenery equally to die for. Van Sant's direction also creates this hypnotising dream-like effect to the visuals and how the story is told. The music is hauntingly downbeat and full of pathos.'My Own Private Idaho's' script is not perfect, but much of it is poignant and thoughtful. Despite a meandering middle act, much of the story makes the most of its daring themes and how they're dealt with ensures that the film is as relevant and resonant today as it was 26 years ago. It's told gently, but also with a grit and pathos that makes the film unsettling and moving.Keanu Reeves' performance has been criticised, personally belong in the camp who thinks that he gives one of his better and more natural performances that breaks the mould. There is no doubting however that River Phoenix's is infinitely better, an extraordinary turn that's even better than that in 'Stand By Me' and showed potential for him to be one of the finest actors of his generation if he had not died so tragically so young. They are supported by an electric supporting cast, riotous William Richert and creepy Udo Kier being the scene stealers.Overall, not for everybody but for me despite its imperfections there was a lot to admire here. 8/10 Bethany Cox
sharky_55
It seems that this film is really two films in one, struggling with another. There is the quiet, brooding masterpiece which has at its core River Phoenix and his search for home and comfort. And then there are the lesser parts of the sum, loosely inspired by Shakespeare, that seem to want to complicate the plot and insert these moments of literary richness. The scenes with William Richert's Falstaff inspired figure take on a strange morphing of the speech, not completely copying the language of the Bard but applying a modern twist on it. What results is a strangely stilted dialogue that doesn't have the poetic and symbolic power of the original, yet is decidedly stiff and uncharacteristic for the manner of street bums. It takes powerful moments from the play, such as Hal's rejection of his mentor and father figure, and renders them stale and emotionless. The real power is in that funeral scene, where the group sing and dance of the late Bob while a cold, frozen Reeves looks on from his own removed domain, no longer a part of them. It's a stunning juxtaposition, and you can feel the regret two ways as they attempt to miss each other's glance. This is more acceptable than the other theatrical moments of the film, such as wildly flamboyant client who has Mike scrub his floors, and a salesman who puts on a wonderful show and dance in the midst of their wanderings. These feel less natural and more of an obligation on the part of Van Sant, as if he was the Bard himself, trying to please a royal patron. So, not as to dismiss these segments of Shakespearean influence, but the real meat of the story is with Mike. He has an odd condition called narcolepsy which has him collapse and sleep at odd times of the day - and this isn't just a technique to feign vulnerability, but embedded within his character entirely. His dreams are the most integral clues to unlocking his psychosis; there is a long straight road that seems to go on forever and onto nowhere, and he peers all around to no avail, and retreats to his late mother's lap instead. Van Sant overlays these dream sequences with red-blooded American country music that sings about their proud land and country and all the wonderful things it holds. It becomes tragically ironic, but also with a slight solace, because they abruptly cut out once he wakes up and he is back in reality, and somehow in the midst of a client's session. It is suggested that he is almost trying to hide away in his dreams and reject his real life - see the strange way in which Van Sant's blocking hides the identity of the client as he walks away after he is done with his 'business'. And of course there are those gorgeous time-lapse sequences where the clouds rush over the never-ending plains. Their fleeting, elusive beauty renders Scott and Carmela's lovemaking almost robotic in its static still-frames.River Phoenix is the real star. Not only in his shattered, clipped dialogue, but in his body language. The pivotal confession of love by the campfire is made doubly vulnerable and heartbreaking by the way in which he hesitatingly spits out each pained line, and then curls up into a ball as if he were naked and completely exposed. Later upon rejection, he will desperately collapse on hard pavement and succumb to his condition all while sobbing - he makes this an art, not just releasing tears but allowing his whole body to break down and shake uncontrollably all while a unsuspecting Scott passes by in his car. He seeks solace in his usual clients, and for a brief, tiny moment, he seems to find it...oh, before they begin to pull his clothes off and reveal their truer desires. The initial intention was to have simply blackouts cuts to indicate Mike's narcolepsy. Instead we have these moments of pure bliss, that speed by all too fast and slip out of his hands. Clayont's editing is erratic and visualises his condition; they will jump forward in time in the blink of an eye, and cut during action jarringly, as if to indicate another narcoleptic episode that robs Mike of whatever pain or pleasure he was experiencing. In one instance, he runs desperately into his mother's former home, as if expecting an embrace, and the footage switches to that grainy, nostalgic POV vision, shaky and nervous, betraying his innermost desires, and then it quickly speeds past the memory jolt, and then back to him sobbing into Scott's arms. This is a masterful bit of film-making; to elicit such a strong emotional reaction but to do it in such a way that robs the character of any moment of solace. And we understand. Van Sant himself is openly gay, but there is not even a hint of personal circumstances or experiences that drive this film forward, but a feeling of universal loneliness. There is a secondary tragedy that this film evokes; that the young River Phoenix, such a tremendous talent, was taken much too soon.
Irishchatter
I don't know why James Franco would consider this a favorite movie of his? It is rubbish!The storyline was hard to follow and too fast for me to understand what is going on with the characters Mike and Scott. It was just all over the place, all I know is River Phoneix's character had necropsy and a poor hustler who just thinks of his mother in his dreams. With Keanu Reeve's character, he just appears as a presidents son and hangs out with the homeless bucks! I wish I could have fallen the storyline and more of the characters better because I would be happy to understand what really is happening. Glad I only saw 30 minutes of the movie then wasting my time watching an hour of it!
