My Own Private Idaho poster

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

104 min ·R
AdventureDrama
individualfriendshiptreasurerobberysibling relationshiprome, italyparent child relationshipgenerations conflictportland, oregonhustlercocaineidahoseattle, washingtonmale friendshiproad tripunrequited lovemale prostitutionpovertyprostitutionincestlgbtlost mothernarcolepsyfather son relationshipgay theme

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

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Crew

Gus Van Sant director
Gus Van Sant writer
Laurie Parker producer

Cast

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Comments

rm Apr 11, 2026

River Phoenix should have had forty more years of films and the world is a lesser place without him. This Gus Van Sant masterpiece — a gay street hustler with narcolepsy searching for his mother — is raw and poetic and unlike anything else ever made. Phoenix and Keanu Reeves by that campfire, the sky flipping through time-lapse behind them, Shakespeare woven into the dialogue. It is one of the most queer, most tender, most devastating portrayals of lives lived on the margins. Watch it. Then go hug someone you love.