The Straight Story
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Movie Reviews of The Straight Story
Movie Review: Straight To The Heart
Summary: 5 Stars
The Straight Story is film paradise; repeated viewings will only make you like it more. It is an extraordinary work of art that is as surprising as it is richly rewarding. If ever there was a case of "less is more," this is it.
The story, (both bizarre and fact-based), is almost Shaker-esque in its simplicity. Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old man in failing health from Laurens, Iowa, rides a garden tractor 320 miles to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin in hopes of making peace with his dying, estranged brother Lyle. On the way, the incredibly slow way, he meets nice people and we learn a great deal about him. (Imagine pitching that to a producer!)
Retired stuntman Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin to perfection. The hard years are visible; his craggy face resembles a well-worn baseball glove, although there's sparkle, even mischief, in his eyes. When Alvin smiles it's the smile of a man who has seen all the hardship life has to offer and still chooses to embrace it. Straight is laconic but unlike most characters, every word matters and reverberates with authenticity.
The pacing in this picture is faultless, through vignettes played out in chance encounters we come to understand Straight and the complex trials he's endured, as well as his need to make amends with brother Lyle. These small scenes are played out on a vast, sumptuous visual canvas of American farmland, gigantic John Deere harvesters cut broad swathes as Alvin put-puts in the foreground.
The reliable Angelo Badalamenti provides a lovely, non-intrusive score while Sissy Spacek shines as Alvin's daughter. But the truly stunning thing about The Straight Story is that it was directed by David Lynch, demonstrating once and for all that Lynch is capable of creating movie magic without resorting to dwarfs talking backwards and dogs dining on severed ears. This is a profoundly humanistic and gentle film that moves with slow confidence - no cheap tricks. For me, knowing that Lynch made The Straight Story actually improves all his other films after the fact.
Movie Review: A Daring Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This is perhaps David Lynch's most courageous movie, for it is one of simple dialog, long sentences and a zen storyline of one man's decision to visit his ailing brother by driving a sit-down lawn mower several hundred miles. It is a slow road trip movie, without any special tricks, only the quest of one man with no overwhelming bits of conflicts or violence.
Silences are not easy in movies, and yet they are expertly carried out here by a wonderful ensemble of cast and crew. Though Amazon mistakenly identifies this primarily as a Sissy Spacek movie, there is no doubt that this movie is the mantle for the late Richard Farnsworth.
Farnsworth, whose face shows the emotions of a man making final journey, masterfully carries the movie in a way that is humble, haunting and sincere. His delivery of lines is quiet and gentle, as is his demeanor. A "slow road trip," the pacing of the movie is compelling in part because of its quietude. Beautifully shot, the great blue skies and the miles of corn have an eloquence that only adds to meaning and depth.
This is a movie that resonates, never shoving but gently prods us to think.
Of special note, Farnsworth was terminally ill during the shoot of this movie. In extreme pain, one can see the determination in his eyes. Sadly, in October 2000, Farnsworth died.
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Movie Review: Simply stated...
Summary: 5 Stars
It's true that it's surprising to see this movie knowing that the director is responsible for some of the most bizarre and confounding films ever made; it's also possible that David Lynch is the only director who could have made it so perfectly. The cinematography consistently resembles a moving painting, while the quiet moments between characters lends a realistic, often quirky, gravity to the story.
Alvin Straight, after suffering a small heart attack, has a wake-up call: time is precious, and too much of it--years, in fact--have been wasted continuing a long period of non-communication with his brother, Lyle. The reasons why this silent feud exists no longer matters to Alvin, who decides to swallow his pride, mount his lawnmower (in nearly as ill-health and age as Alvin himself) and ride from his home in Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin to visit his brother. What at first seems stubborn and ridiculous soon becomes admirable and even heroic as Alvin travels through the majestic (and perilous) countryside, encountering interesting characters and situations along the way, never passing up a chance to share nuggets of wisdom or advice. We soon understand why he wants to make this trip in the fashion he has chosen--and can't help but respect him.
This is a simple plot and story which needs to be seen to be absorbed, and if you're not sitting there rooting for this determined old man to complete his epic journey, one long mile after another, each hill a mountain, than you need to have a revelation of your own. Genuine acting, incredibly beautiful vistas of the Midwest, perfect pacing, interesting characters and a message for everyone that "late is better than never". "The Straight Story" is a true family film which will never grow old.
On that note...Carol, would you please change your last name for me?
Movie Review: You came all this way on that thing just to see me?
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot of people have David Lynch pegged as a filmmaker obsessed with darkness, depravity, grotesquerie, perversion and weirdness for its own sake. Not to sound too ....., but these people are immune to visual poetry and should stick with Adam Sandler or Schwarzeneggar movies. Yes, there are some elements of all of the above in Lynch's work, but always too there is a sense of humanity, a certain skewed grace. With The Straight Story, the spirituality that has always been present in Lynch's films comes more prominently to the fore than it ever has before (with the possible exception of The Elephant Man). The Straight Story lacks much in the way of outright strangeness in terms of content, but the general oddness of Lynch's style, his unique sense of composition and editing rhythms, his whole way of seeing, is very much in evidence here. Based on the true story of Alvin Straight, an old man who made a 300-mile journey by riding mower to see his estranged brother, The Straight Story is so, well, straightforward and simple that it achieves a kind of purity. By all accounts, on a personal level Lynch is an unusually warm, sweet guy and I can believe it. This film couldn't have been made by someone who wasn't a fundamentally clear-eyed, good man, and the deep-down decency of Straight is accordingly made palpable by the deep-down decency of the director. When Alvin finally meets up with his ailing brother, the film ends with an exchange between the two that is so understated and eloquent that it's almost startling in its power. Eschewing any trace of cheesey sentimentality, Lynch makes a statement about the importance of love and forgiveness that even the most hardened cynic would be moved by. If you missed this in the theater, the widescreen DVD is the only way to go. Don't miss this remarkable film.Movie Review: Lynch shows soft side with cohesive "Straight Story"
Summary: 5 Stars
Picture this: The best Disney, G-rated, heart-warming movie about life's regrets, remorse, and making amends is a little film that most never saw when it entered theaters almost a year ago.....and it's directed by David Lynch? David Lynch, who made his debut into filmaking with the disturbing and strange "Eraserhead", has always been labled as an auteur of the strange and surreal. He came closest to commercial success with the Academy Award nominated "Elephant Man" and "Blue Velvet", but no film he's ever made has been able to tap into the sensibilities of middle-America. "Straight Story" is that movie. Departing from the surreal images we've come to expect in a David Lynch film, he directs this moving story about a man's journey to visit his ailing brother in a "Straight" manner. Instead of focusing the camera on disturbing images of evil lurking within human nature, Lynch gives us beautiful shots of the roadways of middle-America and the pastures and fields that line these highways. Along the way, Richard Farnsworth's character (in an Oscar-nominated performance) meets different people who, like him, are on a journey. As the movie proceeds, we come to learn that the real journey is that of Farnsworth's character which is revealed in pieces throughout the film as he shares his life's regrets, sorrows, and pains. Lynch takes his time with this film, slowly unraveling the motives of the main character. Suffice to say it's not for the Micheal Bay crowd. Be patient. You will be digesting this movie long after viewing. Enhancing this beautiful film is stunning cinematography and a wonderful score featuring a violin solo. Yes, a violin. This a complete departure for Lynch, but a film equal to his greatest works.