My Own Private Idaho
1991 · 1h 44m · Drama
Watch it tonight if you're in the mood for bold, weird, and unapologetically experimental cinema—Gus Van Sant's fever dream of a film is gorgeously shot and genuinely moving, even if it's a messy adaptation of Shakespeare. The scores are solid across the board, and this cult classic demands to be seen on screen, not added to your list for later.
Plot
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a 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.
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert, Rodney Harvey