The Straight Story (1999)

The Straight Story tells the true story of 73-year-old Alvin Straight, a stubborn, quietly dignified man who sets out from rural Iowa to rural Wisconsin on an unlikely pilgrimage: he travels hundreds of miles on his aging riding lawn mower to make peace with his estranged, ailing brother. The plot is simple and spare — the journey, its small obstacles and the people Alvin meets along the way — but it becomes a profound character study about pride, age, family and the urgency of reconciliation. Watching the film is a slow, meditative experience. It moves at the patient pace of Alvin’s mower: quiet, unhurried scenes, wide shots of small-town and Midwestern landscapes, and understated performances that reveal character through gestures and silence rather than exposition. Expect gentle touches of humor, moments of surprising tenderness, and many brief human interactions that illuminate both Alvin and the communities he passes through. Emotionally the film is warm and restrained rather than melodramatic. It invites reflection on mortality, forgiveness and the small acts that define a life. Viewers who appreciate character-driven dramas, naturalistic storytelling and a contemplative mood will find the movie quietly powerful and deeply humane — a moving portrait of one man’s determined effort to set things right before it’s too late.

Actors: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz

Director: David Lynch

Runtime: 112 min

Genres: Biography, Drama

7.8 /10 86 /100 8.0 /10 8.1 /10