Rating: 
Summary: Clearly one of the best acted films of the year
Review: This film is probably one of the warmest and heartbreaking films of the year and it is all because of David Lynch and Richard Farnsworth. Unlike your typical Hollywood movie, David Lynch is able to work in the multitude of charachters in "The Straight Story" in a very natural and unpretentious way. The beauty of the picture is the way in which Alvin Straight (Farnsworth) is able to touch all the people he meets as he travels from Iowa to Wisconsin on his tractor to meet his ailing brother. The ending, which may leave the typical moviegoer scrathching his head and asking "so what happens?", is brilliant in how the expressions on the brothers' faces explain how they feel; and there is no need for a long drawn out speech that screams for the Academy's attention. This film, in essence is about getting old and how aging has its benefits as well as its tragedies; how anger and resentment of family and friends is really not worth it in the end. Richard Farnsworth does a brilliant job that not many actors could have done. The wisdom he seems to have just by staring at him is astonishing. The second best line in the movie is when a young man asked him, "What is the worst thing about getting old?" and Alvin stares at him and says quietly, "Remembering when you were young." The best line, of course is the last sentence of the movie which makes you feel happy as well as sad inside. David Lynch did a beautiful job in making the cornfields of the midwest seem amazingly scenic; trust me, I have been through Iowa and it is not as gorgeous as he made it out to be. The soundtrack goes perfect with the movie also. And I did not even mention Sissy Spacek, who plays Alvin's daughter and she does a great job as well as the rest of the cast in playing characters touched by Alvin and his mission. What makes a movie a classic or a great film is that after you watch it, you sit there and think about it and have discussions with your friends about it. This movie did that to me, and I have been reccommending it to all my friends. But I must warn you, you also have to be in the right mood for it, and it might be best if you either watched it alone or with only a couple of other people. It is a must see for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Remembrance of things past
Review: "The Straight Story" is a true story about a 73 year old man who drove 300 miles on a riding lawnmower to visit his estranged brother who has just had a stroke. Why did he ride a lawnmower? Well, as he tells almost everyone who asks in the movie, his eyesight is bad and he doesn't' have a drivers license. Alvin Straight is opinionated, pigheaded and cantankerous - he is not a particularly intelligent man but when he speaks, his carefully chosen words speak volumes about life. He meets many people along his five-week journey and along the way, he ruminates about mistakes he made in his life, human nature as well as the wisdom and downfalls of old age. Above all, he dispenses common sense, especially to those in need of it. Like Alvin's character, this is a simple film, brilliantly filmed by director David Lynch, but one that will stick with you long after the final credits. Richard Farnsworth received a well deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (he committed suicide one year later after being diagnosed with terminal cancer). Sissy Spacek is, as always, wonderful as Alvin's daughter, a semi-retarded woman who herself lives in the shadow of a devastating secret. But all of the actors in this film are great, even the ones who only have brief scenes. The cinematography is wonderful as well with the camera sweeping across the prairies and plains of the Mid-West. It may come as a surprise that this film was made by David Lynch, the director who has made such unconventional films as "Blue Velvet," "Naked Lunch," and the tv series "Twin Peaks." For those familiar with his work, it may seem unbelievable that this is the same David Lynch, but it shows the true mark of a gifted and versatile filmmaker.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I believe this is one of the best films I have seen in years. At first I thought it was a little slow. Then I got in to it and got hooked. It was awesome when I found out it was a true story.
How does the Academy Awards miss stuff like this?
Rating:
Summary: Trials and Triumphs of the Human Spirit
Review: I grew up in the type of farm country depicted in this movie, and now live on the East Coast in a town that's too small to have its own cinema. I am starting a monthly film series at my church based on the theme "Trials and Triumphs of the Human Spirit." I selected The Straight Story for its perfect simplicity and unobstructed view right into Alvin Straight's heart and soul. Other films which will be shown because they depict men who, in spite of obstacles and difficult lives manage to touch other lives in positive ways include: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The World of Apu, and Cinema Paradiso. I would love to hear other suggestions.
Rating:
Summary: Adreno-crazed speed frenzy
Review: 'High concept' is a term usually used to describe blockbuster films with plots that can be summarised in one line, preferably five words long. 'Old man drives lawnmower to meet striken brother' sums up 'The Straight Story', but doesn't really do it justice. Basically a long meditation on growing old, it's a slow-moving road movie that nonetheless remains riveting from start to finish, like a cross between 'Koyaanisqatsi' and 'Wild at Heart'. It's also the only film in which Harry Dean Stanton looks relatively young. Richard Farnsworth's performance in the lead role is excellent and understated, although it's hard to separate the character from Farnsworth (who was suffering from terminal cancer, and who took his own life shortly after the film was released) himself. Faults? Lynch keeps his surrealistic instincts in check most of the time, but they burst out in a pointless scene with a woman who keeps crashing her car into deer. And a later scene, in which Farnsworth walks into a bar and has a beer and some emotional catharsis, seems a bit abrupt and contrived. But that's just being mean. This a great film, one well worth seeing, with a superb soundtrack from Angelo Badalamenti. It harkens back to a short period in the very early-70s when Hollywood produced low-budget, small-scale gems, and gives you faith in cinema again. If there is a cinematic opposite of 'New Jack City', this is it. As for the DVD, you just get a trailer and subtitles, and it's in proper widescreen. The dark bits - and there are quite a few dark bits, as the film takes place partly at night - are sometimes a bit jagged and blocky, but the picture and sound are otherwise fine.
Rating:
Summary: a wonderful film..a real gem
Review: This is one of the best movies I`ve seen.Some people may find it dull,because its just a real movie about real people.The late Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek both deliver oscar-winning performances.The soundtrack is very pleasant too as is the cinematography.Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A straightforward story honestly told.
Review: A wonderful gentle movie that I'm still enjoying after several viewings. Clearly Mr Lynch is not afraid to experiment and deliver something different and this is so unlike his previous output. Judging from some of the reviews this is not a movie for everyone but fortunately the one or two stars are in a minority. Most of the others, like me, appreciated the slow moving (just like five mph Deere mower) unfolding of Alvin's big adventure and the folks he met. Where else other than the Midwest, where honesty comes as standard, could this story take place. There is so much to enjoy! Angelo Badalamenti creates the perfect bluegrass style theme music, cinematographer Freddie Francis captures the gorgeous colors of the Midwest, the actors and especially Richard Farnsworth sparkle. Great lines, too, Alvin says to a hitchhiker, who has run away from home and shares a meal with him around the campfire, "A warm bed in a house sounds a mite better than eating a hot dog on a stick with an old geezer travelling on a lawn mower". The 'Straight Story' is a little gem and I bet I'll still be enjoying its warmth and honesty for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Simply beautiful
Review: First of all, it's an absolute crime that Richard Farnsworth lost to Kevin Spacey for best actor. We shouldn't be all that shocked that David Lynch made this movie. After all, remember, he did make The Elephant Man, and half of Blue Velvet, including the ending, is pure Norman Rockwell. What's shocking is that The Straight Story didn't get more attention, what with everyone bewailing Hollywood's hand in our country's "moral decline." On that subject, my favorite line in the film comes after Alvin careens down the hill. A woman asks if he's afraid to be out on the road alone because "there are weird people everywhere these days." Weird people, indeed. The woman has listened to too many talk shows and Republicans. The country is falling apart, right? So why is it that everywhere Alvin goes he meets kind people, generous people, warm people? Everyone in America should see this movie and make themselves believe in it. I wanted to respond to one reviewer from Lumberton, NC who said that Blue Velvet ("absolute garbage" as he called it) was about his hometown. All billboards and commercials in BV identify the town as Lumberton, USA, and it's clearly meant to be a kind of mythic place somewhere in Lynch's native Northwest. Blue Velvet took Rockwell's idealized, propagandized, America to task, but The Straight Story gives us real people in a real place. It's a beautiful movie. Watch it as soon as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Plug For John Deere
Review: A film that showcases something that has been missing from films...decency. THE STRAIGHT STORY also shows a peaceful, laidback, and beautiful America. David Lynch pulls back (way, way, back) from his bizarro world and tells a story (based on a true account) that is heartfelt without being a tearjerker. Richard Farnsworth (perfectly cast and deserved his best actor nomination) plays Alvin Straight a geriatric in Iowa who decides to visit and reconcile with his estranged and ailing brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) in Wisconsin. His transportation of choice is a John Deere riding lawn mower with trailer in tow (because his eyes are too bad for driving a car and he doesn't trust the driver of a bus). Along the way he meets up with kind folk who are sympathetic, non-judgemental yet curious, and helpful to Alvin's cause and journey. They too learn something. Also, the cinematography of the vast farming landescapes, small towns, and country backroads are some of the best parts of the movie. The pacing of the film is breezy and low-key allowing the viewer to relax and "ride" along with Farnsworth/Alvin's experiences with no indication of surprises or harm to the character (except for a couple of occasions of the riding mower breaking down or stalling). Overall, a film with the commentary of determination, a simple way of life, and that decency can still be a film's selling point.
Rating:
Summary: The Disneyfication Of David Lynch
Review: Not to be unaffected in the world-wide Disneyfication phenomenon, David Lynch has produced a wonderful work. Often, this director's films have a dark seething theme that overpowers his beautiful interpretation of image and sound. In this film, the mid-American farmlands of Iowa in the summer seem to have softened that darkness, but Lynch's laser-like vision and stark presentation of the unusual have remained.
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