My Own Private Idaho

Directed by Gus Van Sant, My Own Private Idaho follows River Phoenix’s Mike as he connects with a fellow drifter (Keanu Reeves’ Scott) and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Filmmaker Van Sant, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a progressively erratic (and increasingly unwatchable) drama that gets off to an admittedly promising start, as My Own Private Idaho kicks off with a compelling opening stretch that benefits from Eric Alan Edwards and John Campbell’s striking cinematography and Phoenix’s predictably stirring performance – with, in terms of the latter, the actor’s first-class work certainly matched (and enhanced) by his chemistry with costar Reeves. It’s disappointing to note, then, that My Own Private Idaho segues into a momentum-free (and periodically unwatchable) midsection overflowing with misguided, aggressively avant-garde attributes, with, especially, the recurring emphasis on the protagonists’ silly Shakespearean exploits enhancing the less-than-enthralling vibe and, ultimately, rendering the picture’s positives woefully moot – which, when coupled with a padded-out and generally unsatisfying third act, cements the movie’s place as a palpable misfire that squanders its stars’ top-notch efforts.

* out of ****