After Gus Van Sant made Drugstore Cowboy, people said he teetered on the brink of underground film stardom.

They lumped him with Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch.

I think Van Sant read a little too much of his own press. His latest film, My Own Private Idaho, provides plenty of visual stimulation, but not much entertainment.

It's the kind of movie film students should go see, since Van Sant creates an amazing world with his shots. But if you want to get the most out of your $5.25, you might want to steer away from this.

Like Cowboy to a degree, Idaho prefers to set a mood rather than follow a plottine. Loosely, Idaho pilfers the Henry IV story from William Shakespeare; Van Sant even credits Shakespeare with extra dialogue.

Specifically, Keanu Reeves plays Scott Favor (Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part I), a young heir getting a taste of reality by hanging around with group of male prostitutes.

River Phoenix plays Mikey, one of the gang of prostitutes, who falls in love with Scott.

Eventually, Scott must rebuke this band, collect his inheritance and enter his father's mayoral circle.

Until that time, Scott traipses around Seattle and Portland and even Italy helping Mikey find his mother.

Most of the burden of making this a decent film falls on Phoenix and Reeves, and they don't quite deliver.

Reeves proves especially unnerving. In one scene, the dialogue comes directly from Henry IV; Reeves doesn't come close to pull. ing it off.

But all in all, Idaho just bores. The actors possess no spark for their work, and even Van Sant's exciting camera work cannot turn this picture into anything entertaining.