A very interesting story and great acting.

I find it hard to explain the power/ strength of this film from so long ago. Partly it is the excellent and committed performances of absolutely every actor. Chiefly it is the direction and writing of the Director and Author. It is so imaginative, it deals in matters beyond the pale, way and along. It has not got a single message. It deals with difficult and alarming characters but without simplicity.

I will never stop falling in love and simultaneously be left heartbroken by this inexplicably stunning and sad tale that I feel had to be told by exactly these people.. Translates in and outside of the movie. I was truly so taken by it, by them that I just had to find my very own copy. It must be seen, for so many reasons but to keep this little part of Rivers many beautifully complexities yet simply.. his huge heart alive. Can't get enough of it even though it breaks my heart each time..

This is a strange and dream like film. I'm not exactly sure how they showed such disgusting things in this film, in such a beautiful manner. I really like My Own Private Idaho, but I'm not really sure what to say about it.

Rewatching it over 30 years since last seeing it and l enjoyed more than first time even though l was conscious it was not my friends kind of movie and l had dragged her along. It’s interesting reading reviews by people who don’t like it. I like it for all the reasons they don’t. It’s a bit weird, at no point do you really know what is happening next. Sometimes it is psychologically realistic, other times not. The whole thing has a sort of makeshift quality. It is also impossible not talk about River Phoenix who is mesmerising throughout. Great, great slacker movie.

A strange and mesmerizing film about unreciprocated love in all its most devastating forms.

I’d always heard about or seen this movie listed in places but finally watched it on Blu-ray. I was honestly blown away by River Phoenix’s character and acting. I didn’t care for, in my initial viewing , the Shakespearean elements in places, but I will likely watch it again, and maybe get it. The movie was not what I expected, in a good way. It still feels very fresh.

One of those films where from the second I turned it on, I couldn’t get into it. I didn’t care, kept losing interest. An indie film that never gripped. Watched on DVD.

Based on Shakespearean. I could see that! Theatrical.

I had this saved to watch for awhile and I tried to watch last night. The start was so darn weird so I had to give up after about 20 mins only as I did not have time to waste. Nothing more said, nothing less said on this "except" I just am not a fan at all of weird sexual situation starts to a movie! I saved myself some 80 mins more in time not proceeding!

My favorite show. The idea of status and love is fully disposited.

It's Good and definitely a classic of its director and actors catalogues but its a bit all over the place at times. The acting is good across the board with River Phoenix being the standout with a really good performance and surprisingly Keanu Reeves is solid in this. The only thing that holds this back is the acting can be bizarre at times especially any scenes involving Bob which are so out there. The cinematography is solid also with great camerawork and memorable on location settings. The catch is that there are some bizarre scenes that feel out of place and distract from the performances. The music is really good also. The weakest point is the editing which isn't bad but the abrupt cuts when Mike experiences narcolepsy are very abrupt, than the bizarre scenes including most with Bob, and the artsy sex scenes and you get something that can be very distracting. However when the film just settles down and focuses on the character dramas/interactions and allows the actors too shine its really good and has a lot of underlying commentary about friendship and coming of age. But it never lets it truly shine because of the reasons listed before. It's a well paced film though especially because its not long and the arcs especially at the end is good. This film definitely is better in the second half and has more really strong moments. It's a blend of Midnight Cowboy with All That Jazz surrealness without the music aspect. Anyone who is a fan of the actors, director, or more abstract type of films will like this.

Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. The plot is amazing and so emotional which made it very entertaining. The ending was definitely a sad one but I think it just added onto everything and made it better. I also love love love the actors in this movie. If I could rate this higher I would.

U can't look away from rivers acting .. beautiful .. and keanus face .. beautiful!

The stars work well off each other but the story did nothing for me.

It looks great and is very arty throughout, however the plot does get a bit stale and boring during the movie. River Phoenix is stunning & charismatic in this though and works well with Keanu Reeves.

This movie is very emotional, visceral, brutal and sometimes a little pretentious (shakespeare dialogue) but both keanu reeves and river phoenix leave a lasting impression. also shoutout to udo kier. and that scene around the campfire made me shed some real tears.

Very soulful. River Phoenix was a gem. His performance was amazing. I have missed him until these days. Also, this is my favorite film of Keanu Reeves.

Truthfully, the mass appeal of Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho is a bit baffling. Alternating between intriguing and irritating, it tells the story of Mike (River Phoenix), a male prostitute who, with the assistance of his friend Scott (Keanu Reeves), embarks on a journey to locate Mike's estranged mother. Apparently inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV, the film is sprinkled with Shakespearean-inspired dialogue throughout, an annoyance that can't be ignored and an affectation that should have been dispensed with. While the movie features some truly beautiful imagery, it is also marred by what looks like pretentious film school nonsense. Phoenix, as one would expect, is great, but Reeves is downright wooden at times and William Richert as Bob, the ‘street tutor' of the homeless hustlers, is downright intolerable. It's mostly a mixed bag, but the cons seem to outweigh the pros.

Shirtless Keanu Reeves as an allegory for Shakespeare's Henry V on a fake homoerotic magazine with a cowboy hat should be on the Mount Rushmore of film. The greatest knock you can give My Own Private Idaho is that it comes across as a somewhat stitched-together film when it comes to plot, which wanders around touching on well-known Shakespeare arcs while also injecting an original parallel plot regarding the search for an estranged mother, and with her, a sense of identity. As an adaptation of classic theater, its original, fun, and timely, if far from the most faithful. As a travel film where a pair of street hustlers trapse across the western US and then to Rome in search of personal connections, it's a solid film exploring isolation and the cold nature of society (particularly towards homosexuals). The spaces where these two stories meet don't always line up precisely and require some smoothing out to integrate, but overall the film remains interesting and unique. Solid performances, particularly from Phoenix (Mikey) and Richert as Bob (love me some Falstaff), and with Keanu Reeves coming off as way less wooden than he did in most of his early work, the characters do their part to elevate the film. Van Sant's shooting style and clever script help to carry it the rest of the way, giving us a cult classic that has only grown in popularity with time.