My Own Private Idaho is probably one of the strangest films I have ever viewed ("Brazil" still tops my list). It's hard to describe its genre: at times I thought I was watching a documentary on Portland street hustlers (I expected Ken Burns to pop in any minute). Other times I felt like I was easedropping on MTV"s "Real World" or any number of reality shows that have since arrived. Certainly if I were a narcoleptic, my life would feel like a series of disconnected events, floating in and out of dream sequences, and waking to find myself in confusing surroundings. This is the shape of Gus Van Sant's screenplay.
So how does one make sense of this movie? Most reviewers compared it to one of Shakespeare's more popular plays, "Henry IV." The main character is the Prince of Wales, Prince Hal, who is living la vita loca (think Scott Favor) with his band of merry men. His best friend is a fat knight named Falstaff (there is a Falstaff billboard and Falstaff beer in the movie). Prince Hal reforms and saves his dad's throne and becomes Kenneth Branaugh in a bravado performance as Henry V in a later movie. Or something like that...
Van Sant based his creation of Scott Favor on himself and a friend, Scott Green. Mike Waters (Phoenix) was based on a Portland street hustler named Mike Parker. Both Scott and Mike helped Keanu and River prepare for their roles by hanging out together and spending nights on the streets of Portland. Sheila Johnston, a Keanu biographer, states that all of Van Sant's movies have the same theme: "social outcasts who find solace and security in alternative families." This theme resonated with many young actors as Van Sant became a popular independent film maker, especially after making "Drugstore Cowboy" in 1989. Despite that, Van Sant had little hope of attracting big name stars to the project with its $2.5 million budget.
However, Keanu read the script, met with the director, and then showed the script to River. River and Keanu made a "blood brother pact" to do the film together and then New Line Cinema agreed to back the film. River's agent did not want him to do the film. River went on to win the Best Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics, and at the Venice Film Festival. MOPI received a lot of attention, reviewed widely by critics for a film decidedly not mainstream. Most reviews were positive (Roger Ebert gave it 31/2 stars), but some major ones were not (Time and People hated it).
What I remember most about Keanu and MOPI is that this movie was made during a troubling time in his life. He had just finished filming "Point Break" (July-Sept, '90) and went immediately into MOPI production without a rest (Sept-Dec, '90). Keanu shared in an interview that "I finished Point Break in Hawaii at six in the morning when the sun came up. Then I got on a plane, arriving in LA at four in the afternoon. I flew to Portland the next morning and bam, started filming." And then he reported to the set of "Bogus Journey" in January, 1991, without a break from MOPI. Keanu was 26 years old and drug use rumors plagued him. Some of this stemmed from comments he made in an "Interview" magazine about the use of speed, and some of this came from stories about all-night jam sessions at the Van Sant ten room home in Portland with Keanu, River, Flea (from Red Hot Chili Peppers), and other cast members as Van Sant moved out. The rumors spread and were exacerbated by a press conference at the New York Film Festival for the movie at which Keanu and River appeared on stage drunk. Keanu spat on the floor, his disdain for film promotion at an all time low. The gay rumor surfaced as well, partly due to the nature of the film and Keanu's appearance in Vanity Fair (Oct, 1991) as a geisha. Not a happy time.
Keanu's performance in MOPI received some unfavorable notice by critics. But his was the more difficult role with long speeches filled with awkward Shakespearean prose. Comparing the two leads, Scott is decidedly the less sympathetic character. Afterall, his life circumstance is a result of a choice. He could escape the despairing world of the street hustler at anytime. It's a game to him; he has no permanent investment in this life.
The screenplay's sad center and empathy is with Mike, who has no such options or rosy future. He is living his only life, and its a tragic one.
The film begins bleakly with Mike on a road to nowhere and ends that way, sans shoes.
The most famous scene around the campfire solidifies the audience's compassion for Mike. Originally three pages in the screenplay, it was expanded to eight pages by River. It is heart-wrenching to watch- who among us has not faced the fear of rejection from a love-object as we profess our love (or lack the courage to do so?) Unrequited love hurts and Mike is getting it two-fold: from Scott and his mother.Whether Mike is gay or simply seeking a connection out of loneliness, the scene creates a strong emotional pull for the audience towards Mike.
The movie ends with "have a nice day," probably so the audience can shake its pathos and leave the theater. Geez! Love hurts, life stinks, real and substitute fathers die, pour me another. Recession, AIDS, Gulf War. We didn't start the fire, but the early 1990's sure needed a good dousing.
MOPI got its title from a song called "Private Idaho" by the B-52s (album called "Wild Planet"). The lyrics "living in your own private Idaho, underground like a wild potato" resonate in this film. When Scott finally resurfaces and falls in love, I was sure happy to be there, frame by frame. The balcony is now open for your thoughts on Keanu's strange, Idaho adventure.