The Straight Story (1999)

Simply Perfect

Expected more

Excellent but underrated film

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

It's a true story showing that if you do want to achieve something you can. It shows the best of the pioneers in the rural sides of the US. Great movie. Especially if you do have a bro.

No twist, no sudden reveal, no fancy film-making, as evidenced by the title, "The Straight Story" is a simple and straightforward story about a man named Alvin Straight, who went through a five-week journey across the Midwest, from Iowa to Mississippi to settle some record with his dying brother. It is also one of the sweetest and most heart-warming movies from, of all the directors, David Lynch. As if he embraced the name of the main character, Lynch plays it 'straight' and doesn't indulge to his usual trademarks, there are a few bits of weirdness here and there but they all feel genuine and true to life.Alvin Straight is a man in his 70's, his health has been declining, bad hips, bad vision, bad habits, but he's one of these stubborn men who don't like being told what to do. He's quite lucid about his condition and knows his living days are numbered but this is not an existentially stationary film, it doesn't contemplate the passing of time. Like the best existential movies, this one is combined with a road trip, the inevitable parallel between the road and the path we're invited to take in order to discover more about the protagonist then about ourselves, each encounter is the opportunity to learn something. And even in the film, people are curious about Alvin, how couldn't they? When you meet a man in his 70's determined to visit his brother the hard way, riding a lawn mower, you want to have a few words with him.There's a campfire sequence with a young hitchhiker during which he presents one of the most touching metaphors about the value of family, I won't spoil it but the film finds a touching way to show that the message has been heard. Then he meets a group of cocky youngsters and one of them has a very bold question: "what's the worst thing about being old". That answer I will spoil because it's all in the speechless reaction it inspires: "remembering when you were young". I could feel Alvin was giving the cocky bastard a taste of his own medicine without hurting him, it's not much the memories of being young than simple and straight memories. Our past is what makes the present difficult and the older we are, the heavier the burden is. And as the story progresses, Alvin's relief grows. The longer chapter of this glorious odyssey involves a trip in a small town where Alvin shares a few memories with another World War II veteran and then you realize these people were not called the greatest generation for nothing, the greatness isn't a comment on their human value but the level of crap they had to deal with before supposedly getting back to the real world. These are guys who had jobs, lead a routine life while trying to hide back their trauma under some habits, such as alcohol or smoking, never mind, these things backfired at them and in Alvin's situation, he can only meditate on what's left from his life and translate it into something good and valuable. The trip culminates with an advice given to two brothers that ends with the perfect quotation "a brother's a brother".In that scene, there's a moment when he says "am I charged for something good or something new", which means that he's supposed to pay for quality rather than newness and that's exactly what Alvin's presence is about. But at that point I should say that's what the presence of Richard Farnsworth is about. The actor, remembered for his performance as the sheriff in "Misery" was a former stunt-man and entered the acting business quite late, a late-bloomer as we say, but he managed to garner a lot of attention and Oscar nomination, this performance as well. I think he didn't play an old man, he was himself, which all the positive things and negative if we count the declining health. It is known that the actor was battling cancer and unfortunately, he put an end to his life before the misery (no pun intended) would get worse, but as far as epitaph performance go, there couldn't have been a better one, it felt so real.Whenever he smiles, he cries, he acts or reacts, I see a man with a past as rich and emotional as life can be, and as I hope my life will be, and when health gets declining, you try to keep the spirits in a good mood and never let anyone stop you. "The Straight Story" takes a long time to take off, there are many pauses and incident but no matter what, the man keeps on going, he doesn't even let himself go in a house, he calls it stubbornness, it's more than that, this man carries some guilt and he tries to atone for it, it's about faith, it's about dignity. We never know what exactly he did until the end where he's about to say something, and let's just say that the conclusion is just perfect.This is a film to embrace with all the feelings it has to feature, joy, sadness and melancholy and a few installments of oddity that belongs to Lynch, but it also a movie that invite us to appreciate life and nature. There are a lot of great shots in the film, the camera is like caressing the vast landscapes, the wheat fields, the green acres but even a storm is enjoyable, for some reason, like Alvin, like Farnsworth, we embrace the value of these things as perceived by Alvin. That's the power of "The Straight Story".

The film portrays the story of an old man, knowledgeable of life, who stubbornly wanted to go alone on a troubled trip of mowers. Throughout the trip, situations of the life of the lord are portrayed, a hard and long life, with important teachings. In my opinion, the film was inspiring and impressive. There were some moments of comedy and others where I almost cried. I take what I learned from this person, Alvin Straight, for the rest of my life. In conclusion, I really liked the movie, it was my first time in this kind of cinema and I loved it!

David Lynch is one of my a-list directors, although Mulholland Dr. is the only one I have ever seen, when my interpretation told me what's it about,I was stunned , from time to time I'm awake in morning ,I know some thing appeared in my dream is what appeared in Mulholland Dr. ,it's awesome.The straight story is my second journey with David Lynch, a totally different experience , but the result is same , stunned.With several split-screens ,Lynch briefly tells the condition about the Straight and his living environment, which raise a question in my head then , how Lynch can weave a 2 hours movie after that? A long journey From Iowa to Mississippi , an old ill-man with his Mower? sounds boring.Alvin Straights' (Farnsworth) first attempt terminated due to the broken of the mower , but when he begins his second attempt, the story start hit me bit by bit , come across a wayward young girl who are running away and the Bundle of sticks fable , which may be a little cliché to me in other place , is now perfectly fit in this story , a nice family helped him when his Mower broke again after a dangerous drive , and the beautiful narrative of the WWII sniper story , lots of detail on the trip , just like a fantastic picture unfold bit by bit slowly , quietly , and emotionally , but the most beautiful part still left at the end of story , when his brother ask him when he saw the almost broken Mower ,'you just drive that thing long way to see me ?',My eyes has the same effect with Straights' brother , my heart was moved totally.In my Cultural desert nation, I'm proud to say that I still be capable of have some feeling in this movie ,and I have to thank David Lynch to let me know it