Directed by:
David LynchCinematography:
Freddie FrancisComposer:
Angelo BadalamentiCast:
Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Joseph A. Carpenter, Everett McGill, Harry Dean Stanton, Kevin P. Farley, Tracey Maloney, Donald Wiegert, Anastasia Webb (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Richard Farnsworth stars as Alvin Straight -- a no-nonsense man who has never been one to lean on others. Now at an age when his eyesight denies him the ability to drive and walking is accomplished only with the help of two canes, Alvin lives a quiet life with his daughter Rose (Sissy Spacek). But when the call comes that Alvin's estranged brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered a debilitating stroke, Alvin embarks on a dangerous and emotional journey to make amends. With little money, but plenty of patience and tenacity, he climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere lawnmower and plots the 260-mile course from his small Iowa town to Lyle's home in Wisconsin. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
This is the David Lynch I admire and respect. A recital by the incredibly likeable Richard Farnsworth, whose character is etched deeply, deeply into my heart and memory. This is one of the most beautiful, moving, and best made films I've ever seen (and not just among road movies). Visually and musically captivating.
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Not only the most beautiful road-movie I have ever seen, but also a moving film about the autumn of life that inevitably awaits each of us and about brotherly love, for which even failing health and an uncomfortable journey on a tractor over great distances is no obstacle. Even very ordinary things can be extraordinarily beautiful when presented in such a sensitive way. David Lynch is a very wise man...
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Excellent. Like Lynch’s films, it relies on feelings, you have to live the events together with the protagonist. There are sad moments and happy moments, but most of the time it’s pleasantly sentimental. Another thing worth pointing out is the music score, which improves wonderfully what would otherwise be long and boring scenes, making them a lot more than just bearable. One reliable indicator of how much I’ve enjoyed a given film is how willing I am to let the final credits roll, and here I happily watched the whole lot of it…
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I would like to have been in the movie theater during the premiere of The Straight Story and instead of watching the events on the screen, I would have preferred to observe the hesitant gazes of the enthusiasts of Lynch's surrealist tricks and perverse images. I knew essentially what I was getting into and I didn't expect any surprises, but I am somewhat surprised by the high ratings and uncritical comments. I have nothing against the intention to shoot a story about the importance of family cohesion and clearing out old skeletons from the closet, but the film has a pace that corresponds to riding a lawnmower, and truth be told, those almost two hours drag on. Moreover, in terms of plot, it is somewhat thin and for example, About Schmidt, which has significantly lower ratings, seemed to me several classes better and more enjoyable. My overall impression is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, but with such a highly acclaimed film, I will lean towards the lower rating, which amounts to 45%.
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A beautiful story about an elderly gentleman deciding, in his old age, to embark on a journey to visit his brother who had a stroke. Both brothers don't have the best relationship and haven't seen each other in a long time, so Alvin's journey is a personal catharsis. This really isn't your classic David Lynch movie, but thanks to how easy it is to understand, and how it presents human destinies with strength but without sentimentality, you can watch a unique film that, within an hour and three-quarters, shows how beautiful and terrible life can be. Whether we want to deal with it or not, old age is out there waiting for us. But old age doesn't mean we stop living; it just means it might hurt more.
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Gallery (31)
Photo © Carlotta Films
![The Straight Story - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/168/593/168593111_iyye9l.jpg)
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