Here our protagonist is narcoleptic hustler Mike (River Phoenix), a confused and longing lad who often wakes up in different locations with no orientation whatsoever. Abandoned by Italy-bound mother, Mike is accompanied for much of the film by Scott (Keanu Reeves), whose well-to-do upbringing spurred him to temporary rebellion by turning tricks. Together they embark on a surreal odyssey including encounters with various johns (including an unforgettable turn by Udo Kier) and an ultimately poignant, bittersweet outcome for the lovelorn Mike.
At heart a dissection of the buddy movie, homoerotic subtext and all, My Own Private Idaho sidesteps the seedier and more explicit aspects of its subject matter, instead creating a dreamy atmosphere that resembles some random collision of Jean Cocteau and Jean-Luc Godard. Phoenix shines in what most regard as his definitive role, but the often maligned Reeves (whom Phoenix fought to have cast in the film) also acquits himself well and proves he does have the chops when presented with the right material. (Check out The Gift for further proof if necessary.)
However, the real star here is Van Sant's precise, striking visual style, mixing in experimental techniques with just the right amount of narrative justification to keep audiences from stampeding to the exits. Whether conducting dialogue scenes while plastering actors on the covers of male skin magazines or interjecting random images of falling barns and time lapse photography, he manages to keep the whole madcap enterprise engaging and surprisingly upbeat considering the fairly grim nature of the journey at hand.
An ideal title for the Criterion treatment, My Own Private Idaho gleams as much as one would expect in this (literally) hefty two-disc set. The first disc contains an immaculate anamorphic transfer of the film itself with Van Sant's seal of approval, boosted by a spacious 5.1 remix as well as the basic theatrical stereo version. The only extra on the first disc is the appropriately edgy theatrical trailer.
The real meat can be found on the second disc, beginning with a very extensive two hours-plus 2004 conversion between Van Sant and director Todd Haynes (Poison). Basically an audio commentary with visual accompaniment, this welcome interaction between two filmmakers offers plenty of anecdotes and oddball facts about the film while revealing some of the quirky personalities of both men involved. Much of the filming stories are amusing, particularly the fact that most of the cast crashed out at Van Sant's home (while the director was usually out toiling on the production) including several of the real-life hustlers recruited for the film.
The much shorter but worthwhile "The Making of My Own Private Idaho" offers a 42-minute chat with editor Crutiss Clayton, cinematographers John Campbell and Eric Alan Edwards, and production designer David Brisbin discussing the creation of the film's unique look and feel. In "Kings of the Road," film scholar Paul Arthur offers a nifty 44-minute guide through the film's Shakespearean influences and its relationship to another major Falstaff film, Orson Welles¿ Chimes at Midnight, with other cinematic connections drawn throughout.
Six deleted scenes are mostly extraneous bits interesting for their visual experiments rather than their contributions to the narrative, though there is one nice extra bit with Phoenix. The actor's legacy is the primary focus on a 20-minute video chat with his sister, Rain Phoenix, and producer Laurie Parker who remember his dedication and perseverance on the film. Finally, writer J.T. LeRoy (who wrote Elephant and the grueling The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things) and filmmaker Jonathon Caouette (the Van Sant-produced Tarnation) discuss their own experiences (including their lives on the street) and how it impacted the Van Sant project for an informative, candid 53 minutes. The entire set is housed in a thick case which also includes a 64-page book containing essays by LeRoy and critic Amy Taubin, a vintage article about the film by Lance Loud, and interviews with the director and two leads conducted during the film¿s initial promotional push.
For more information about My Own Private Idaho, visit The Criterion Collection. To order My Own Private Idaho, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
