Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Own Private Idaho, 19 Nov 2003
Not the most uplifting film. I have wanted to see it for a long time but was unable to find it in the local video hire store/library etc. Nor could I find it for sale. So, having waited so long to see it.....It is a remarkable and moving piece of film. The cinematography is - unusual - in places. The 18 rating seems to be because there is a 'suggestion' and little more of gay (and hetero) sex. Where the more intimate scenes occur they are filmed in a frozen action sequence, but in that somewhat 'hammy' film genre where instead of freeze framing, the actors hold their pose, a little odd. I s'pose the 18 cert is because it went thru the censors in the early 90's so little more was possible. The story follows Mike as the principal character, played by River Phoenix, who is screwed up from childhood, suffers from narcolepsy (uncontrollable falling into deep sleep)and tries to survive as a rent boy. His co star is Keaneau Reeves who is the badly behaving rich boy. Will he fall in love with Mike, as Mike declares his love for him? or not? The ending - it's ambiguous! Worth watching, worth owning but don't expect a feel good factor. Good reflection of the mid Western States though I think, from my experience.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great piece of cinema, 16 Nov 2001
This film is, more than anything else, proof of what a great actor River Phoenix truly was. The film itself is very interesting. While the subject matter may seem controversial, the touching and off-beat way in which it is handled by director/writer Gus Van Sant is never exploitive or offensive. It's the sort of film that you'd think could only have been made during that shining era of cinematic daring and innovation, the 1970's. I mean, I can picture it fitting in nicely on a double bill with 'Midnight Cowboy' or 'Taxi Driver' for example. It has that distinctive and independant nature. Surprizingly it's actually from 1991. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating and oddly romantic piece of work. Some scenes work better than others (as is the case with most movies, especially those of the so-called "art house" variety) but it's never anything less than totally unique and quietly touching. Plenty of interesting filmic, philosophical, and artistic ideas presented in an interesting and highly effective manner. There is no use questioning the fact that River Phoenix's intense and heartbreaking performance is the films centrepiece, but the film stands up very well even in the scenes he's not in. This is one of my favourite films of the 1990's and the one that I hope River Phoenix will long be lovingly remembered for.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weird and wonderful...Keanu Reeves can actually act??, 16 Jun 2004
Being fairly new to the world of 'art-house' movies, i first found this a little confusing, and i was concerned that this strange approach would hinder the emotional impact of the film, rendering it yet another overly stylish, powerless and incomprehensible piece of modern film-art. I had also heard that it was extremely shocking and controversial. However, i began to understand Gus Van Sant's language, and it soon seemed completely natural. The claims regarding its explicit sexual nature have been, fankly, grossly exaggerated and probably the result of mild homophobia. The camp fire scene is the most memorable, with River Phoenix's perfomance as Mike, subtle and shining as usual, bringing to mind the very similar camp-fire scene in "Stand by me". Having only seen Keanu Reeves appear in such films as 'Speed' and 'the Matrix', in which he hardly demonstrates any power or skill as an actor, it came as somewhat of a pleasant surprise to see his humorous and striking portrayal of Scott. A sensitive choice of music contributed to the mood, both in the comic, nostalgic steel-string guitar to the gentle folk song that plays as Mike vows through tears to find his mother (by the way, does anybody know what that song is or how to find out?). I was slightly disappointed and depressed by the ending, which is extremely inconclusive, but i suppose movies don't always need a conclusive ending to make them good. Overall a visually stylish, emotionally powerful movie, with some fantastic acting by River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.
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