My Own Private Idaho primarily focuses on the lives of male hustlers, exploring themes of homelessness, unrequited love, and the search for belonging. The film does not feature identifiable transsexual characters or themes as a central or peripheral element within its narrative.

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

The film is loosely inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, but its main characters, based on Prince Hal and Falstaff, retain their original male gender. No established characters from the source material are portrayed as a different gender.

My Own Private Idaho is an original screenplay by Gus Van Sant. Its characters were not established in prior source material, previous installments, or real-world history, thus precluding any race swaps.