An old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.An old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.An old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 18 wins & 40 nominations total
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Barbara E. Robertson
- Deer Womanas Deer Woman
- (as Barbara Robertson)
- Director
- Writers
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Seventy-three year old Alvin Straight is a simple living and stubborn man who lives on his social security. He needs to do things on his own terms. He is in failing health. Both his hips are shot, which requires him to use two canes to walk. He is diabetic. He has emphysema from years of smoking. And he has poor eyesight. Beyond the obvious maladies, he doesn't tell his mentally disabled daughter Rose, who lives with him, of many of these issues. He learns that his brother Lyle Straight, from who he has been estranged for ten years, has just suffered a heart attack. Because of both his and Lyle's mortality, Alvin wants to make peace with his brother before it's too late, which means traveling from his home in the rural town of Laurens, Iowa to Lyle's home in rural Mount Zion, Wisconsin. As with other issues in his life, he needs to make the trip on his own terms, which means on his own. As he doesn't possess a driver's license and since his eyesight is bad, he decides to make the trip driving his aged riding lawn mover towing a trailer which will carry his gear and double as his sleeping quarters. After one mis-start, he is on his way. On that trip, he affects and is affected by those he encounters. But he just hopes that he can finish the trip the way he started it, and before either he, Lyle or the lawn mower give out for good. —Huggo
- Taglines
- In life, what are the things that really matter?
- Genres
- Certificate
- G
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Farnsworth was terminally ill with bone cancer during the shooting of the film, which had caused the paralysis of his legs as shown in the film. He actually took the role out of admiration for Alvin Straight, and astonished his co-workers with his tenacity during production. Because of the pain of his disease, Farnsworth committed suicide the following year, at the age of 80.
- GoofsAlvin is shown crossing the Mississippi River at Lansing heading westward (into Iowa), instead of eastward into Wisconsin.
- Crazy creditsWalt Disney Pictures Presents: A film by David Lynch
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Instinct/The Loss of Sexual Innocence/Limbo (1999)
- SoundtracksThe Most Requested Song
(From Strange Tales of the Late West)
Written by Middlejohn & John Neff
By Arrangement with Maui Zone Records & Tapes
Top review
Great story
This is not a movie for fans of the usual eerie Lynch stuff. Rather, it's for those who either appreciate a good story, or have grown tired of the run-of-the-mill stuff with overt sentimentalism and Oprah-ish "This is such a wonderful movie! You must see it!"-semantics (tho' she IS right, for once!).
The story unfolds flawlessly, and we are taken along a journey that, I believe, most of us will come to recognize at some time. A compassionate, existentialist journey where we make amends för our past when approaching ourt inevitable demise.
Acting is without faults, cinematography likewise (occasionally quite brilliant!), and the dialogue leaves out just enough for the viewer to grasp the details od the story.
A warm movie. Not excessively sentimental.
The story unfolds flawlessly, and we are taken along a journey that, I believe, most of us will come to recognize at some time. A compassionate, existentialist journey where we make amends för our past when approaching ourt inevitable demise.
Acting is without faults, cinematography likewise (occasionally quite brilliant!), and the dialogue leaves out just enough for the viewer to grasp the details od the story.
A warm movie. Not excessively sentimental.
helpful•11015
- ThiMoN
- Jun 10, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Проста історія
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,203,044
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $92,312
- Oct 17, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $6,416,569
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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