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My Own Private Idaho

1991

Gus Van Sant

River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert ...

6.7

16,675

Drama River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves star in Gus Van Sant’s haunting tale of two young sreet 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 object of Mike’s desire. Navigating a volatile world of junkies, thieves, and johns, Mike takes Scott on a quest from the grungy streets to the open highways of the Pacific Northwest, in search of an ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times	"A story that may be sad and lonely in parts but is illuminated by the insight that all experience is potentially ridiculous (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Scott Tobias AV Club	"Though Van Sant was a brilliant stylist from the start the road-movie looseness of My Own Private Idaho gave him an opportunity to express himself like never before"	POS
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"'My Own Private Idaho' is as blunt, uncompromising and nonjudgmental as Mr. Van Sant's two earlier films, but the scope is now broader and the aspirations more daring."	POS
United Kingdom	Time Out	"Stunning to look at - the dawn and dusk landscapes are sublime - and seductively scored, the film's uniqueness lies in its remarkable emotional open-heartedness."	POS
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"The style is so eclectic that it may take some getting used to, but Van Sant, working from his own story for the first time, brings such lyrical focus to his characters and his poetry that almost everything works."	POS
United States	Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	"'My Own Private Idaho' lacks the dramatic punchiness of 'Drugstore Cowboy', yet it’s a rich, audacious experience"	POS
United States	Hal Hinson The Washington Post	"Van Sant's sensibility is wholly original, wholly fresh. 'My Own Private Idaho' adds a new ingredient: a kind of boho sweetness. I loved it."	POS
United States	Terrence Rafferty The New Yorker	"Visually, the movie is so imaginative, so fiercely alive, that it carries us along. But when the over-all design of the picture becomes clear, we feel cheated rather than enlightened."	NEU

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