[year & rating] 1999 G [genre] Adventure Drama [director] David Lynch [starring] Richard Farnsworth Sissy Spacek Jane Galloway Harry Dean Stanton

Summary Capsule

You think old folks don't get ants in their pants? Witness the (true) story of Alvin Straight, an elderly man who drove across a few states on his lawn mower to visit his dying brother.

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Check out this movie in VHS or DVD, and the soundtrack CD

Justin's Rating: Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose!
Justin's Review: Honest warning up front: this film has the potential to bore you, and when I use the word "bore", I mean "bore a hole in your skull because at least then something's happening." Yet The Straight Story also has the potential to plant a cozy smile on your mug, leaving you with a warm movie experience. Don't underestimate this half-and-half recommendation; The Straight Story might just be what you need to jar you out of an unending series of meaningless, shallow flicks.

"Nary a backwards-talking midget nor a convoluted plot is to be found."

My heart goes out to the elderly sometimes, how bad things seem to pile up on them mercilessly until they have no choice but to just pass on. When asked what is the worst thing about growing old, 73-year old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) replies, "Remembering what it was like being young." A pressing sense of mortality hits Alvin as he gets a bad doctor's report and his brother Lyle falls ill to a stroke. As brothers, they've been separated in anger for over ten years, and it appears that time is just about to wipe them both out of the picture.

Instead of giving in to grief and self-pity like we would probably do, Alvin opens up his chest of Old Cootity and plans a fairly daring road trip. Unable to drive and eschewing the bus system, he gasses up his lawn mower, hooks on a trailer, and proceeds to tear across the Midwest to see his estranged bro at about two miles an hour. Speed, this is not.

His journey might be the slowest road trip ever put to film, but also one of the best. You begin to root for Alvin as his can-do spirit overcomes a failing body. It's apt that the movie is set in September-October, as the beautiful autumn colors of the trees and fields he passes reflect the beauty of a life fully lived instead of despair. Alvin encounters a number of people, from bike riders to runaways to bickering twins, and it's such a relief that the movie cliché of Midwestern folks being idiotic hicks is put to rest here. Instead, in an age of selfishness and our fast-paced society, here's a glimpse of hidden America, in the people that are still kind to strangers.

I was absolutely astounded to watch a movie like this knowing that David Lynch (Lost Highway, Twin Peaks) directed it. Nary a backwards-talking midget nor a convoluted plot is to be found. Sure, there's still a bit of Lynch's trademark quirkiness, but the fact that you can follow this movie from beginning to end without a ten page flow chart makes up for a couple past sins. You'll also just fall in love with the late Richard Farnsworth, who gives an astounding turn (he was 79 when he filmed this, and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar). Farnsworth shows at times wisdom, humor, a deep remorse for a dark past, and genuine love over the course of his performance, which makes him the true anti-hero to every Rock-Diesel muscle jockey we see on screen today.

The Straight Story is slow, but so are most road trips in real life. If you'll think back to many road trips that took seemingly forever, I bet you'll remember more the interesting things that happened along the way and less the agony of wanting to be at your destination. The story of Alvin Straight is in the journey, and it's one I think you should share.

No zombies to mow here, so move on He's very slowly getting away!

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Just to mellow out some more, I guess.

Unnecessary Background [some sources: Disney Official Site]

Mary Sweeney discovered the story of Alvin Straight in 1994, and wrote about it in the New York Times. She researched this strange story of a man who rode his lawn mower to see his brother. About the tale, Sweeney said, "Every time I told someone about it, no one could put their finger on what charmed them, but everyone found it really interesting -- and kind of inspiring, in an odd way." Sweeney even took a car trip along the route that Straight drove from Laurens to Mt. Zion. They met a lot of the same people who had interacted with Straight along the way.

Richard Farnsworth even came out of retirement after falling in love with the script. His final performance would be rewarded with a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2000.

Groovy Quotes

Alvin: You don't think about getting old when you're young... you shouldn't.

Sig: What do you need that grabber for, Alvin?
Alvin: Grabbin'.

Dorothy: What's the number for 911?

Alvin: I'd give each one of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, "You break that." Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, "Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that." Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle... that's family."

Alvin: There's no one knows your life better than a brother that's near your age. He knows who you are and what you are better than anyone on earth. My brother and I said some unforgivable things the last time we met, but, I'm trying to put that behind me... and this trip is a hard swallow of my pride. I just hope I'm not too late... a brother's a brother.

Ragbrai cyclist: Tell me, Alvin, what's the worst thing of being old?
Alvin: The worst thing of being old is remembering what is was being young.

DVD Review

The DVD surprisingly has no chapters or a search-by-scene function; the director wanted everyone to experience it straight through without jumping around.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Tommy Boy
• The Stand
• Wonder Boys