My Own Private Idaho

"Wherever, whatever, have a nice day."

1991 1h 44m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

79%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 1,280🍅79%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7IMDB · 66,619

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Wherever, whatever, have a nice day.”

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Cast

River Phoenix
Mike Waters
Keanu Reeves
Scott Favor
James Russo
Richard Waters
William Richert
Bob Pigeon
Rodney Harvey
Gary
Chiara Caselli
Carmella
Michael Parker
Digger
Jessica Makinson
Denise

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Gus Van Sant
Languages: English, Italian, German
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Eric Alan Edwards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bill Stafford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves and James Russo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Wherever, whatever, have a nice day.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gus Van Sant directs. Eric Alan Edwards behind the camera. Bill Stafford scores. Curtiss Clayton cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, German.
4Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Eric Alan Edwards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Bill Stafford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves and James Russo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Wherever, whatever, have a nice day.".
9IMDB entry: tt0102494 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "individual", "friendship", "treasure", "robbery".
11Released under 35 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eric Alan Edwards
Original score: Bill Stafford
Editing: Curtiss Clayton
Production design: David Brisbin
Costume design: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Makeup / hair: Gina Monaci
Sound: Paul Sharpe
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,500,000
Box office: $6,400,000
Return: 256% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 77/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 66,619 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

10 wins & 9 nominations total

Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Volpi Cup

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Gus Van Sant

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

WilsonWatches2021-03-28
★ 8/10
Shakespeare meets street hustlers in a plot loosely inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2 & Henry V. The film is both humorous and profound with River Phoenix's (Mike) shining & Keanu Reeves (Scott) also starring alongside some very memorable characters (Hans, Bob). I think it's probably of the best LGBT Films/ depictions of LGBT characters in film, & deservedly considered a cult classic. The offbeat film's authentic style coupled with its compelling, drifting story, make My own Private Idaho a must watch nearly 30 years after release.

Production companies