My Own Private Idaho

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"It's not where you go. It's how you get there."

"This road will never end. It probably goes all around the world."

A 1991 Road Movie by Gus Van Sant, about a gay narcoleptic male prostitute who is looking for his long lost mother, along the way realizing that he is in love with his best friend, also a prostitute. The friend, however, is wealthy and only whoring himself to annoy his father, and decides to quit prostitution when he comes into his inheritance.

Features a Downer Ending and No Ending with Mike abandoned collapsed on the road on which he began the movie. The implication is that his story will continue in much the same way, as he says in the quote. As the credits roll, a car drives along and a man jumps out, picks Mike up, drags him into the car and drives off with him.

Part of the movie is indeed set in Idaho, but a fair amount takes part in Portland, Oregon, and Italy. Part of the plot is based on William Shakespeare's Henry IV, with Bob as Falstaff and Scott as Prince Hal. In addition, much of the dialogue between Bob and Scott is paraphrased from Henry IV. A compelling movie that is Better Than It Sounds.

Tropes used in My Own Private Idaho include:

• Depraved Homosexual: Many of the hustlers' clients.
• Downer Ending
• Face Heel Turn: Scott, who started out as incredibly caring towards his best friend then for some reason abruptly became a Jerkass who didn't care about him. Italy did it to him.
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Mike Waters.
• Living MacGuffin: Mike's mother.
• Parental Incest
• Pietà Plagiarism: When Mike falls asleep, Scott often carries him about in this manner.
• Road Movie
• Shaggy Dog Story