The Straight Story

G

Released May 21, 1999

1 hr. 51 min.

Drama

List

94%

109 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) learns one day that his distant brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) 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.

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Critics Consensus

With strong performances and director David Lynch at the helm, The Straight Story steers past sentimental byways on its ambling journey across the American heartland.

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Blu B

One of the best road movies of all time and a All Time Classic. It's character study on top of a road movie adventure. The acting, cinematography, musical score is incredible. With really good editing and a perfect lesiurely pace that you glide along too. It's such a simple setup and we learn about Alvin as the journey continues and the acting is so strong that even though no action happens, you can't turn away because of how well directed, how well acted, and interesting Alvin and the story is. It feels like a dream at points while he's on the road in between encounters with other people who help him along the way. The dialouge is really good as well. It's difficult to explain but it somehow manages to be engaging and moving with such a simple story with very little meandering even though most of the film is just that. But each event for the most part makes sense and flows with Lynch's direction making up for parts that may drag with a lesser director. Everyoen should give this a shot once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/03/24

Full Review

Little J

This is the anal lite worst movie. It's boring as can be. Reading the story in 5 mins on the internet is all you need to know. I don't even remember this movie being in the box office let alone don't understand how it has such a high RT score…. Anyways if you wanna be bored for 1.5 hours be my guest. I didn't even watch it all the way through. It's literally and old man who rides a riding lawn mower a couple hundred miles to see his dying brother. There you watched the movie lmfao

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

Alec B

A beautiful movie and easily one of Lynch's best. I feel obliged to push back on the notion that this movie is somehow at odds with his filmography because of the G rating. This is a gentler Lynch to be sure but the movie is still his through and through both narratively and stylistically.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Tim O

Fabulous, 'Crazy Old Man on a Tractor' flick. More of us need his level of commitment.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

Jerod S

Heartwarming at times, yes and definitely sad at times. But when Spacek's 73-year old father drives days on a riding loan mower to mend his relationship with his brother...it goes really slow.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Alejandro E

The curious but warm story of an old man and his odyssey to reunite with his estranged brother is David Lynch's first - and perhaps only - experiment with family cinema without setting aside his creed; That is notorious for the characters that come out of his invective. Unlike his other works, this one does not require intellectual effort to see, and remains in the memory for a long time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/17/23

Full Review

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David Lynch

Director

Richard Farnsworth

Alvin Straight

Sissy Spacek

Rose 'Rosie' Straight

Jane Galloway Heitz

Dorothy, Straight's Next-Door Neighbor

Everett McGill

Tom the John Deere Dealer

Jennifer Edwards-Hughes

Brenda, the Grocery Clerk

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

... An elegiac portrait of a fading American heartland wrapped around a tear-jerking depiction of a man reflecting on his life losses with regret and resignation.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

It's intriguing to watch the Lynch of Blue Velvet and Lost Highway feel his way toward a less wounding surrealism -- into images that have power to hurt and will do none.

Apr 14, 2020

Full Review

Darren Richman

Independent (UK)

It seems only fitting that Lynch's most unambiguous, sentimental film should concern a man named Straight and the title is entirely apposite.

Mar 18, 2020

Full Review

Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

This is probably the best Disney movie I've ever seen, and I can't imagine how anyone (and I mean anyone) could not find something appealing about this wholly wonderful narrative.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

As Alvin, [Richard Farnsworth] grounds the film in no-nonsense authenticity, meaning it never feels overly sentimental (in spite of the Disney affiliation).

Rated: 8/10

Sep 8, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

The movie is exquisitely simple, near-plotless, as Alvin makes his slow journey from Iowa to Wisconsin. As always, Lynch draws the scenes out, letting them breathe, giving us time to drink in the images.

Rated: A

Sep 2, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) learns one day that his distant brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) 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.

Director: David Lynch
Executive Producer: Pierre Edelman, Michael Polaire
Screenwriter: John Roach, Mary Sweeney
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Le Studio Canal +, Channel Four Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Asymmetrical Productions, Les Films Alain Sarde, CiBy 2000
Rating: G
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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