The Straight Story

The Straight Story

By

  • Genre: Drama
  • Release Date: 1999-10-15
  • Runtime: 112 minutes
  • : 7.7
  • Production Company: Les Films Alain Sarde
  • Production Country: United States of America, United Kingdom, France
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7.7/10
7.7
From 1,721 Ratings

Description

A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. Then he hits on the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Trailer

Reviews

  • r96sk

    9
    By r96sk
    Beautifully made film. It's a difficult one to describe. 'The Straight Story' features a very touching, true life, story about Alvin Straight. It's a very simple premise but one that the film brings to life wonderfully. There's a crap tonne of heart, alongside some brilliant cinematography and a top notch score. Richard Farnsworth plays the role of Alvin expertly, it's an outstanding performance from him. Credit also to Sissy Spacek, who makes an impact as Rose despite not really being in the film for all that long. Harry Dean Stanton (Lyle) makes an appearance, too. It's a slow burn but one that's totally worth the 112 minute run time. What a great way to end the millennium for Disney's live-action theatrical releases.

  • CinemaSerf

    7
    By CinemaSerf
    I’ve seen loads of road movies over the years, but never one that involved an elderly gent travelling from Iowa to the adjacent Wisconsin driving his lawnmower! “Alvin” (Richard Farnsworth) is a curmudgeonly seventy-something whose health and mobility are failing and who lives with his daughter “Rose” (Sissy Spacek) - a lady without her own problems to seek, too! When he learns that his estranged brother “Lyle” has had a stroke, he determines to visit him after a ten year hiatus. The bus, the train, a plane? Nope. He hitches a trailer to his grass cutter and off he goes. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t get very far before it blows a gasket. Back to square one, he still chooses to shun more traditional (and comfortable) modes of transport and spends what’s left of his savings on a slightly more upmarket tractor - think a wheeled version of a pygmy hippo. As he travels, he encounters a selection of people with whom he engages, eats, shares stories, venison, and even essential repairs and this journey of reflection helps him to put into better perspective just what led to their sibling separation; what caused his daughter’s “illness” and what the future could hold for him if only he gave it a chance. It’s also quite a pleasing vindication of the human spirit as those he meets up with are invariably helpful, interested and sympathetic - even when he isn’t always the easiest to get on with. Farnsworth is entirely natural here (he reminded me a lot of Will Geer) as his rut-like existence becomes laid bare to his own eyes. There’s nothing really contentious here either, it’s just a quirky first-gear cruise down a road of memories, friendship and opportunity and it’s almost entirely devoid of any cloying sentiment, too.

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