The Straight Story (1999) France
The Straight Story Image Cover
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Director:David Lynch
Studio:Walt Disney Video
Producer:Neal Edelstein, David Lynch, Angelo Badalamenti, Mary Sweeney
Writer:John Roach, Mary Sweeney
Rating:4.5
Rated:G
Date Added:2007-03-06
Purchased On:2007-06-03
ASIN:B00004Z4SD
UPC:0717951010117
Price:$19.99
Awards:Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 28 nominations
Genre:7-9 Years
Release:2000-07-11
IMDb:0166896
Duration:112
Picture Format:Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:2.35:1
Sound:Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages:English, Dolby Digital 5.1
Features:Anamorphic
David Lynch  ...  (Director)
John Roach, Mary Sweeney  ...  (Writer)
 
Sissy Spacek  ...  Rose 'Rosie' Straight
Jane Galloway Heitz  ...  Dorothy, Straight's Next-Door Neighbor (as Jane Galloway Heitz)
Joseph A. Carpenter  ...  Bud
Donald Wiegert  ...  Sig
Richard Farnsworth  ...  Alvin Straight
Tracey Maloney  ...  Nurse
Dan Flannery  ...  Doctor Gibbons
Jennifer Edwards-Hughes  ...  Brenda, the Grocery Clerk
Ed Grennan  ...  Pete
Jack Walsh  ...  Apple
Max the Wonder Dog  ...  Farm Dog
Gil Pearson  ...  Sun Ray Tours Bus Driver
Barbara June Patterson  ...  Woman on Bus
Everett McGill  ...  Tom the John Deere Dealer
Anastasia Webb  ...  Crystal
Matt Guidry  ...  
Bill McCallum  ...  
Barbara E. Robertson  ...  
James Cada  ...  
Sally Wingert  ...  
Summary: Throughout The Straight Story, 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) gazes calmly at the night sky, as if the stars were reflections of his own memories. Alvin's eyesight is bad and his daughter (Sissy Spacek) is slightly retarded and unable to drive, so he's traveling from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin on a riding John Deere lawn mower. It's slow going, so there's plenty of time to stop for the night and ponder the cosmos. Alvin's journeying to visit his ailing brother; they haven't spoken in years, and it's time to make peace. Along the way, he befriends a variety of nice folks, and you have to ask yourself... Is this really a David Lynch movie?
It's a miracle that this G-rated Disney film was made by a director whose work is often described as twisted and bizarre. But Lynch is too complex an artist to be labeled, and he brings charm, grace, and kindness to his fact-based telling of The Straight Story--not to mention a serenity rarely found in movies anymore. It's a film of moments--funny, odd, quietly spiritual--and this simple tale of a man, a lawnmower, and rural hospitality becomes a genuine Lynchian odyssey, unlike any film you've seen but as welcoming as a cup of lemon tea with honey. Best of all, it's a fitting tribute to the career of veteran stuntman-actor Farnsworth who, at age 79, plays Alvin Straight to sheer perfection, his face a subtle roadmap to a broad spectrum of emotional destinations. --Jeff Shannon