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    The Straight Story

    • 19991999
    • GG
    • 1h 52min
    IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    84K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,342
    20
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    The Straight Story (1999)
    BiographyDrama

    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.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
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • John Roach
      • Mary Sweeney
    • Stars
      • Richard Farnsworth
      • Sissy Spacek
      • Jane Galloway Heitz
    Top credits
    • Director
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • John Roach
      • Mary Sweeney
    • Stars
      • Richard Farnsworth
      • Sissy Spacek
      • Jane Galloway Heitz
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 462User reviews
    • 158Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 18 wins & 40 nominations total

    Photos160

    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Sissy Spacek and Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth, Joseph A. Carpenter, Ed Grennan, Jack Walsh, and Donald Wiegert in The Straight Story (1999)
    Sissy Spacek and Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Sissy Spacek and Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth and Wiley Harker in The Straight Story (1999)
    Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999)
    David Lynch and Mary Sweeney in The Straight Story (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Farnsworth
    Richard Farnsworth
    • Alvinas Alvin
    Sissy Spacek
    Sissy Spacek
    • Roseas Rose
    Jane Galloway Heitz
    • Dorothyas Dorothy
    Joseph A. Carpenter
    • Budas Bud
    Donald Wiegert
    • Sigas Sig
    Tracey Maloney
    • Nurseas Nurse
    Dan Flannery
    Dan Flannery
    • Doctor Gibbonsas Doctor Gibbons
    Jennifer Edwards-Hughes
    • Brendaas Brenda
    Ed Grennan
    • Peteas Pete
    Jack Walsh
    • Appleas Apple
    Max the Wonder Dog
    • Farm Dogas Farm Dog
    Gil Pearson
    • Bus Driveras Bus Driver
    Barbara June Patterson
    • Woman on Busas Woman on Bus
    Everett McGill
    Everett McGill
    • Tom the John Deere Dealeras Tom the John Deere Dealer
    Anastasia Webb
    Anastasia Webb
    • Crystalas Crystal
    Matt Guidry
    • Steveas Steve
    Bill McCallum
    Bill McCallum
    • Ratas Rat
    Barbara E. Robertson
    Barbara E. Robertson
    • Deer Womanas Deer Woman
    • (as Barbara Robertson)
    • Director
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • John Roach
      • Mary Sweeney
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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
    lawn mowerelderly protagonistroad triplead actor's last filmtakes father to a doctor100 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • In life, what are the things that really matter?
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • G
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Richard 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.
    • Goofs
      Alvin is shown crossing the Mississippi River at Lansing heading westward (into Iowa), instead of eastward into Wisconsin.
    • Quotes

      Alvin: I'd give each one of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, 'You break that.' Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.' Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle... that's family."

    • Crazy credits
      Walt Disney Pictures Presents: A film by David Lynch
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Instinct/The Loss of Sexual Innocence/Limbo (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      The Most Requested Song
      (From Strange Tales of the Late West)

      Written by Middlejohn & John Neff

      By Arrangement with Maui Zone Records & Tapes

    User reviews462

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    This movie aimed for my heart and hit the bull's eye
    Who would have thought that a movie about a man who drives a couple hundreds of miles on his lawn mower to see his brother, could possibly be good cinema? I certainly didn't. I thought I knew what to expect: one of the most boring experiences of my life. Well I was as wrong as I haven't been wrong too often yet, because this is one of the best, most realistic and honest Hollywood films I've ever seen...

    Giving a short resume of "The Straight Story" isn't very difficult. It's about an old and stubborn man who steps on his lawn mower and drives off to another state to pay his brother a visit when he hears that the man has had a severe stroke. That's already special on itself, but what makes it even more special is the fact that he hasn't seen his brother in ten years because of some stupid argument. In the meantime he has his share of bad luck and problems, but he also meets a lot of people whose lives he influences in one way or another with his philosophical approach to life. Despite all the difficulties he drives on for weeks, not knowing if he will reach his goal: seeing his brother again before it's too late...

    I can easily understand why there are people who don't like this movie and that's also the reason why I will not say that these people don't have a heart or things like that... This movie hasn't got any flashy action scenes, it is as slow as the lawn mower the man is driving on and no, you don't have to watch it for the nice soundtrack either, because there isn't any. But why should you watch it then? Well, the simple answer is the story. I haven't seen such a touching movie with such a powerful story very often and the fact that this actually comes from Hollywood and - to make things even better - from the Disney Studio's (that's right, the same studios that overwhelm us with sugar sweet nonsense) makes it even more special. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had the tears in my eyes a couple of times while watching it, probably because the whole situation of not seeing someone for many years because of some stupid argument is all too realistic for me.

    Some people will argue that the story is very shallow, but I really don't agree with that. Perhaps it is because they only see that old man driving on his lawn mower and don't want to think any further. If you look close enough than you'll understand that this man is doing all this because he knows he has once been wrong, that only his pride stood in the way of seeing his brother again and that he wants everybody else to see that too, so they won't make the same mistake. If that isn't deep enough, how much deeper does a story have to go for you then?

    I would also like to add that this movie really had it all. Some beautiful landscapes (finally an American movie that shows something else than the skyline of New York, Chicago or some other big city), some very fine acting by Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek,... and a very understandable way of telling despite the fact that this is a David Lynch movie. I know now that I was completely wrong by assuming that this movie wouldn't be to my taste. It's one of the very best movies I've seen in a long time. This movie aimed for my heart and hit the bull's eye. I give it the full 10/10.
    helpful•57
    5
    • philip_vanderveken
    • Jun 30, 2005

    FAQ1

    • Is this based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 3, 1999 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Проста історія
    • Filming locations
      • Grotto of the Redemption - 300 N. Broadway, West Bend, Iowa, USA
    • Production companies
      • Asymmetrical Productions
      • Canal+
      • Channel Four Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • 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
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 52min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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