Throughout The Straight Story, 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) gazes calmly at the night sky, as if the stars were reflections of his own memories. Alvin's eyesight is bad and his daughter (Sissy Spacek) is slightly retarded and unable to drive, so he's traveling from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin on a riding John Deere lawn mower. It's slow going, so there's plenty of time to stop for the night and ponder the cosmos. Alvin's journeying to visit his ailing brother; they haven't spoken in years, and it's time to make peace. Along the way, he befriends a variety of nice folks, and you have to ask yourself... Is this really a David Lynch movie?

Wonderful Scenery, An Unusual Road Trip And A Change Of Pace

In this movie veteran actor Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin Straight , a widower who lives with his slightly mentally challenged daughter played brilliantly by Sissy Spacek. Alvin learns that his brother Lyle has had a stroke and Alvin decides to visit him. The problem is Lyle lives a long way from Alvin and Alvin doesn't drive because of his poor eyesight. However he is a very resourceful guy as he rides on his lawn mower to visit Lyle.Mr. Farnsworth gives an excellent performance in this film which moves at a very gentle pace with is quite refreshing for the viewer. You wil cheer Alvin on as he rides the shoulders of the highways in America. The scenery is wonderful, the acting is great and this movie wil take the viewer back to a time when movies consisted of meaningful dialogue and ladies kept their clothes on. This movie is a rare gem.

Poignant and Moving

In my book this is an excellent movie, but one you just have to relax into and let unfold. The movie isn't so much about Alvin Straight as it is about the people he meets and how they interact with him as he slowly journeys to see his brother. I think it's one of David Lynch's best movies, but one for which the average Lynch fan will probably walk away shaking his head. Nothing much happens and a lot happens. The things that happen have to do with how people see each other and how they change. Richard Farnsworth, who was old and sick himself, plays with great dignity the old and sick Alvin Straight. If you watch this movie with an open mind, I think you'll be affected by it.

The Most Mature Sissy Spacek Yet

The DVD case said, "Also recommended: *Spitfire Grill*, *Fried Green Tomatoes* and *On Golden Pond*." But if you've seen those, you've seen this. And, if you *like* those (and I do), you'll like this. This is not really Sissy's story, though - it belongs to Richard Farnsworth, who died immediately afterward. An unexpected turn by director Lynch (*Blue Velvet* and *Wild At Heart*), without any of the irony and surrealism that he thrives on. A gorgeous score emphasizes the endless sweeping shots of America The Beautiful, with the attendant spacious skies and amber waves of grain. This is the backdrop for the story of Alvin Straight (Farnsworth), who, for a variety of reasons, decides to drive his lawnmower 300+ miles to see his brother. It is a true story, and you know right off the bat, that this is going to be a tearjerker - Alvin is increasingly infirm at 73, and learns that his estranged brother has had a stroke. He lives with his daughter, Rose (Spacek), who is "slow." This is the most mature Sissy yet - she could rest on her laurels and still be hailed as a major actress entering her fourth decade of moviemaking - though in this, she is a minor, but unforgettable, character, and has excellent assistance from the other supporting cast. The reunion between the elderly brothers looms large throughout the last half. As snapshot-like vignettes spin by, we are propelled towards the inevitable meeting, which promises to be a gusher - but isn't. Though it ends rather abruptly when Alvin shows up at his brother's place six weeks later, the story has been told, gloriously.