My Own Private Idaho- Review

In an unapologetically blunt perspective of gruelling street life, Gus Van Sant acquires River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves to deliver dramatised and emotional performances that reflect influences such as Shakespeare and present to the audience an analysis of the 'last resort' options one must undertake in order to live comfortably later in life.

Mike is timid street hustler that shies away from others and often finds himself in unfamiliar places after blacking out from stress-induced narcolepsy. In comparison to him, Scott is an exuberant and well spoken man, also a street hustler, who is looking for a better life- one that does not involve prostitution.

River Phoenix portrays Mike as a lost and uncomfortable man with little dialogue in conversation with other characters. While his ability to characterise Mike non-verbally makes up for it, there are still elements of his character's journey that aren't clear and seem unanswered.

Keanu Reeves as Scott was a role I wasn't too sure about before reading up about it later. Whenever he spoke, it didn't flow naturally. When reading about it, I realised that Van Sant had used the Shakespearian influences specifically for Keanu and elements of the plot. That is why his dialogue came out paced to the rhythm commonly used in plays and perhaps why he was given the task of using a well-spoken manner. Scott's life outside of hustling was revealed and was a little more coherent than Mike's, however I felt there needed to be more to that story. More relevance.

This film definitely isn't for everyone and I wasn't too sure whether it was for me either. It is bold and does break away from typical stereotypes involving prostitutes (i.e. commonly using female storylines or that all male prostitutes are gay etc) but this story was just so unclear about Mike and Scott's individual lives, the outcome of their friendship and even the rest of their abrupt journey.

Again, another film with an ending that I wasn't happy with. There was no final explanation and was there really anything to end at all? Nothing else throughout the film had even hinted for a complete ending. And no, this is not considered a cliff-hanger either. Just an abrupt ending that made no sense.

My Own Private Idaho tries aimlessly to sell itself to the audience but falls short of actually delivering. Curiosity could be a motive for watching this film, but definitely not for seeking answers or sense.

Score: 5.5/10.