The Straight Story

8.33

Rating: 8.33 | Votes: 3

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It's a good machine...
"The Straight Story," David Lynch's quietly brilliant epic, is unlike any film I've ever seen. There are moments when you sense the path, and then it veers in new directions of dignity. Everything about this journey of an elderly man seems earnest and authentic - Richard Farnsworth's final performance, the true story on which the film is based, on-location shooting where the events took place, filming in sequence - eventually coming together as a subtle and unlikely continuation of Lynch's unique vision.

That Lynch had this work in him is one of the most hopeful occurrences in film history. One of the greatest modern directors, he has challenged for decades with unconventional trademark productions, from instant cult classics Eraserhead and Blue Velvet (Special Edition), the dark period piece The Elephant Man, the horrifying Lost Highway and Wild at Heart. I'm sure I left out a film or TV series, but no matter. Lynch's world is often an excursion through the realms of nightmare. His body of work may not hold up against similar masters Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg, but this one film is superior to any they've ever made. "Straight Story," yes, is rated G and yes, is a Walt Disney production, but it's the flip side of Lynch's nightmare, a gentle dream, hopeful and amazingly audacious.

Film-making became art the instant someone exposed a trolley car clacking down a busy street circa 1910. It's instant art, oftentimes possessing the depth of a microwavable lunch. Today, filmmakers move fast, forging visions of animated destruction, car crashes, machine guns and men walking away from exploding buildings. These films are populated with young actors, glistening pecks, slick haircuts, shaved heads and tight clothes. They drive waxed cars with loud motors, jump from helicopters and conduct slow-motion scissor kicks against multiple adversaries.

Lynch's "Straight Story" is the exact opposite of every convention in film today. It exclusively details the long journey of a wheezing elderly man on the back of a riding lawnmower ambling 5 mph. He moves slower than modern society, gazing at roadside fields, blankets of evening stars, rumbling thunderstorms and cyclists zooming by. He stops to smell the roses, so to say, as he encounters numerous souls, a wayward teenager who actually looks like a teenager, a comfortable middle age family kicked back in lawn chairs, an elderly bartender who serves beer cold, a lawnmower salesman (Everett McGill) who shoots straight, "It's a good machine." There are other souls encountered en route to the ultimate soul, an estranged brother embracing his final months of life.

It's based on the true story of Alvin Straight, an old man with failing vision who traveled 200-plus miles on a lawnmower across Wisconsin and Iowa to visit an ailing brother. Richard Farnsworth was a perfect choice for the lead, an elderly actor suffering from cancer on the set (he would die soon after the film's completion). Farnsworth, one of Hollywood's most interesting individuals, had spent a life in the movies, first as an extra in such films as "Gone with the Wind," later a stuntman on John Wayne westerns, evolving into the weathered, no-nonsense acting presence we came to love in Comes a Horseman and The Grey Fox [VHS]. Nominated for an Oscar in this role, Farnsworth gives a heartbreaking performance combining physical and spiritual pain, his soul exposed in every scene (and very much akin to Wayne's final performance in the meandering, cameo-heavy The Shootist).

"The Straight Story" is ultimately the microcosm of a man's complete life, one who has embraced anger of the past, has kicked alcoholism, who lives with the scars of years. He's had struggles, a mentally challenged daughter (Sissy Spacek), failing health, minimum income, and yet he's able to view life in a gratified manner. They say some people can see the entire world within their backyard. Lynch has documented such a man and very nearly revealed the secret of the universe. When watching "The Straight Story," I'm reminded of The Bicycle Thief and Ikiru - Criterion Collection. It is, quite simply, one of the greatest films ever made, a masterpiece of modern times.

Richard Farnsworth
My husband and I accidently found this movie on the teevee one night when we were eating dinner, I said, "Stop!", because I love Richard Farnsworth, as an actor and as a man (think BIG Time Crush).
This movie is wonderful, but what is even more amazing is that he had terminal cancer and was in great pain when he made this film. It was Very Important to him that this film be made...
After the film was finished, he killed himself because of the unendurable pain from his incurable cancer. He was a man of courage and legacy.
I hold candle and prayers for him and for his wife, and this movie that is the last part of his legacy as a heartfelt actor.

Best Movie
This movie has all things good- determination of older people, value of the handicapped. The lessons taught throughout the movie all so practical for everyone. We all need to live by these virtues.

The Straight Story
This movie had a lot of life's lesson's which Richard Farnsworth's character exhibits along his journey.
This is a great family movie and I could watch it again and again.
Though it is slow moving, it keeps your interest.

A Wonderful Story
My younger son absolutely loves this movie and our original copy of it was misplaced so he was thrilled to get a new one. The story is based on true events and is very inspiring - family is important, and respect for oneself and others is, too. My only complaint is the way Sissy Spacek's character stutters when she talks - I presume the real person the character is based upon did, too, but it gets distracting. Otherwise, her character is wonderful. Our whole family watches and re-watches this film.

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