![]() After all, he’s helmed “Eraserhead”, “Blue Velvet”, “Dune” and “Twin Peaks”–all very weird films by anyone’s standards. It’s hard to imagine that this was directed by David Lynch!ĭavid Lynch is a director known for the weirdness of many of his films. Beautifully performed, filmed and scripted, it’s never too late to rebuild bridges broken, or indeed, build new ones into the future. Meeting and interacting with numerous people on his way, who each have a relatable story to share, along with a few the old timer shares with us – you’re left feeling reflective on your own directions, what they mean and where it is they’re taking you, and those around you too. ![]() No matter where you are on your journey, the meanders past, present and still to come, you’ll take something from this endearing tale about an elderly man and his adventures on a very long journey to see his brother by mini tractor. It’s a nice state with nice people….like this movie. I lived there for several years and can attest to the rolling hills and the rich soil. (Henry Cada as “Daniel Riordan, is a standout in that regard.) Harry Dean Stanton gets third billing, but that’s a joke: he’s only in the final few minutes of the movie! Charm enters the picture in some of people Alvin meets along the way, such as a wayward young girl running away and some nice town folks who help the old man out when he gets in trouble. It IS slow and if that’s okay with you, you might like this. ![]() I found his trip pretty fascinating but you have to realize in advance this is NOT going to be a suspenseful Lynch crime story. ![]() I played this for several friends and they thought the film NEVER picked up, but I am more generous with it. The first 25 minutes of this film isn’t much, and not always pleasant as it shows the main character’s adult and mentally-challenged child (Sissy Spacek) and her tragic past, but once Alvin Straight (Farnsworth) begins his trip, the story picks up. It was so sad to hear what happened to him in real life a year after this film was released. The wrinkles on his face tell many a story. He is the type of guy, face-wise, voice-wise, low-key personality-wise, that just about everyone likes. Well, I guess that premise – an old man driving a lawn mower 400 miles – still makes this an “odd” film of sorts, so Lynch stays in character with that! This was another supposed-true life story, here detailing an elderly man’s trip in a seated lawnmower from western Iowa all the way to Wisconsin to see his ailing brother who he hasn’t talked to in years but wants to see before the latter dies. Count me as one of the latter, and I own all three of those “dark” films, too. I know it disappointed a lot of his fans. Those were dark and shocking films (Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart, Mulholland Drive) and this is the opposite. This was especially “odd” because it wasn’t the kind of film Lynch had been putting out in the last 15 -20 years. “A truly nice story with a moral about brotherly love” describes this odd David Lynch film. The Straight Story Movie Reviews A Shockingly-Straight Story From David Lynch 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. On that trip, he affects and is affected by those he encounters. 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. As with other issues in his life, he needs to make the trip on his own terms, which means on his own. 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. He learns that his brother Lyle Straight, from who he has been estranged for ten years, has just suffered a heart attack. Beyond the obvious maladies, he doesn’t tell his mentally disabled daughter Rose, who lives with him, of many of these issues. Both his hips are shot, which requires him to use two canes to walk. Seventy-three year old Alvin Straight is a simple living and stubborn man who lives on his social security.
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