My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Every lost kid scrounging his living on the seedy streets of every big city has a personal tale of tragedy. The gay drama My Own Private Idaho (1991) gives voice to the exploited, opportunistic tribes of uprooted, castoff youths, most of whom will never have their sorry stories told. Under the pen and direction of Gus Van Sant, a band of boy prostitutes prowls the overcast boulevards, back alleys, and squats of a Pacific Northwest downtown, aligning along crushes, friendships, and deeper, undefined attachments. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 (1597), Henry IV, Part 2 (1598) and Henry V (1599), the timeless tale presents characters who are driven by a yearning they can barely define; most of them have received so little good from life that they have only the vaguest notions of what a better existence might give. Still, simple acts of generous decency occur like miracles in the rough — especially for Mike Waters (River Phoenix) and Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves). The movie also includes Chiara Caselli, James Caviezel, and James Russo. Granted, you’d assume an R rated film about male prostitutes would be primed for steamy scenes of dudity (Your own private Ida-yes!) but, don’t blink, otherwise you’ll miss the sparse sexy seconds of this River running through Keanu’s canyon. (Ida-noooooo!) In other words, while watching Mr. Reeves and Mr. Phoenix in a naked threesome with Udo Kier, keep one hand on the pause button. What you do with your other hand is totally up to you!