• Release Date: 2000-11-07
• Genre: Drama
• Artist Name: Richard Farnsworth, Everett McGill, Barbara Robertson, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton, John Lordan, Jennifer Edwards-Hughes, John Farley, Jane Galloway Heitz
• Director: David Lynch
• AMG Rating:
• MPAA Rating: G
• Category: Feature Films
• Cautions: Suitable for Children
• Year: 1999
• Running Time: 111
• Movie Country of Origin: France
• Available Language: English
• Subtitles: Eng
  

David Lynch offers an uncharacteristically straightforward and warmly sentimental approach to his material in this film, based on a true story, about an elderly man's journey to reconcile with his brother. Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) is an ailing widower in his early 70's who lives in Laurens, Iowa with his daughter, Rose (Sissy Spacek), who is mildly retarded and has a speech defect. Alvin doesn't trust doctors, despite suffering from emphysema and a bad hip. Alvin learns that his brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered a stroke and may not have long to live. Alvin and Lyle haven't spoken in 10 years, which Alvin says is mainly a matter of pride and alcohol; Alvin wants to clear his slate with his brother before it's too late. However, Lyle lives in Wisconsin, and Alvin has little money, no car, and no driver's license. He does, however, have a riding lawn mower, and so Alvin hops on board and heads northeast to Wisconsin, hoping to make it while there's still time. Along the way, Alvin makes new friends and refuses to give up on his journey, despite frequent mechanical breakdowns. Richard Farnsworth's performance as Alvin earned him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor; it would prove to be his final screen appearance, as he died a year after the film's release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Drama

Redemption, Sibling Relationships, Golden Years, Journey of Self-Discovery

Compassionate, Elegiac, Understated, Endearing, Autumnal, Intimate, Gentle

DVD Features

• Theatrical trailer
• 5.1 Surround
• Widescreen [2.35:1] enhanced for 16x9 televisions

• 1999--Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Richard Farnsworth-Nominee
• 1999--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Richard Farnsworth-Nominee

Review

A G-rated, Disney-produced, family-friendly film from David Lynch seemed like a fairly questionable prospect at the time, but The Straight Story turned out to be the perfect choice for the director, allowing him to extricate himself from the nihilist-cool corner into which he'd been painted and make one of his best films in the process. Though a departure in many respects, the film also has a lot more in common with Lynch's past work than might be immediately apparent. For those who had accused Lynch of merely presenting freak shows against the backdrop of apple pie America, The Straight Story serves as a reminder that he generally sympathized with the freaks, even if he maintained a taste for apple pie. Richard Farnsworth's character embodies both aspects, a sweet patriarch whose dogged singlemindedness makes him a freak, his peculiar vehicle of choice and willingness to provide commentary causing nearly everyone he encounters to reevaluate the current status of their lives. The generous slowness of Lynch's pacing nicely matches the subtlety of Farnsworth's performance, one of hidden depths only revealed when allowed time and concentration. As with the lead, so it is with the movie, a heartfelt testament to the importance of family values -- with none of the judgmental politics usually attached to that phrase. ~ Keith Phipps, Rovi