The Straight Story

David Lynch is a director known for the weirdness of many of his films. After all, he's helmed "Eraserhead", "Blue Velvet", "Dune" and "Twin Peaks"--all very weird films by anyone's standards. However, here he's made a film that is very different in tone from his other famous work--and I wouldn't have suspected he could make such a 'normal' film. Perhaps this is because unlike most of his work, he didn't write "The Straight Story"--just directed it. Regardless, it's an exceptional film--one that is really unlike anything else I've seen--and I have seen and reviewed A LOT of films.

The film is based on a true story that occurred a few years before the film was made. Alvin Straight was a 73 year-old man whose brother suffered a stroke. Alvin did not have a driver's license, as he had poor vision and was in pretty poor health. So, in order to make it to his brother's home hundreds of miles away, Alvin rigged up a trailer onto his riding mower and set out on a journey that would take him well over a month!

While the subject matter is pretty mundane and the story rather slow-going (mostly because Alvin Straight's journey was a very slow one), the film managed to be quite entertaining. The script was excellent, Lynch's direction lovely and Richard Farnsworth was terrific in the film as Alvin Straight. Overall, despite being such a simple story, it is a very special sort of film--one that folks who don't demand action and excitement will enjoy.

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. 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. Beautifully performed, filmed and scripted, it's never too late to rebuild bridges broken, or indeed, build new ones into the future.

It takes patience to get through David Lynch's eccentric, but-- for a change-- life-affirming chronicle of Alvin Straight's journey, but stick with it. Though it moves as slow as Straight's John Deere, when he meets the kind strangers along his pilgrimage we learn much about the isolation of aging, the painful regrets and secrets, and ultimately the power of family and reconciliation. Richard Farnsworth caps his career with the year's most genuine performance, sad and poetic, flinty and caring. And Sissy Spacek matches him as his "slow" daughter Rose who pines over her own private loss while caring for dad. Rarely has a modern film preached so positively about family.

Perhaps more than many films, this one is not for everyone. For some folks the idea of slowing down, reflecting and allowing things to happen in their own time is a good description of their personal hell. For others an approach like this speaks to some deep part of themselves they know exists, some part they long for contact with.

I suppose it's a function of where I am in my own life these days, but I count myself in the camp of the latter group. I found the meditative pace of this film almost hypnotic, gently guiding me into some realm almost mythological. This is indeed a journey story, a rich portrayal of the distance many of us must travel if we are to come full circle at the end of our days.

Much as been written of Mr Farnsworth's presentation of Alvin Straight, though I'm not sure there are words to express the exquisite balance of bemused sadness and wise innocence he conjured for us. Knowing now that he was indeed coming to terms with his own mortality as he sat on that tractor seat makes me wish I had had the opportunity to spend time with him before his departure. I hope he had a small glimmer of the satisfaction and truth he had brought to so many people, not just for "acting" but for sharing his absolute humanity with such brutal honesty.

Given the realities of production economics, I'm not sure full credit has been given Mr Lynch for the courage he showed in allowing the story to develop so slowly. An outsider to film production, I nonetheless understand there are few areas of modern life where the expression "time is money" is so accurately descriptive. Going deep into our hearts is not an adventure that can be rushed, and to his credit Mr Lynch seems to have understood that he was not simply telling a story--he was inviting his viewers to spend some time with their own mortality. No simple task, that.

If you'd like to experience the power of film to take introduce you to some precious part of yourself, you could do worse than spending a couple of hours with The Straight Story. And then giving yourself some time for the next little while simply listening to its echoes in the small hours of the night.

A beautiful and very emotional "Harry and Tonto"-styled movie experience as Oscar-nominee Richard Farnsworth (playing the real-life Alvin Straight) decides to travel on his old riding John Deere mower from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his ailing brother (Harry Dean Stanton) because his driver's license has been revoked, he doesn't like public transportation and he has no one else to drive him. The two brothers have not been on speaking terms for many years and now the clock is literally ticking on one last chance for them to see one another and hopefully make amends for past mistakes. Sissy Spacek gives one of her finest performances as Farnsworth's slightly mentally retarded daughter and the supporting players are all real and heartfelt caricatures of America's heartland. Outstanding film-maker David Lynch (to me the finest living American director, along with Martin Scorsese) goes totally out-of-character with a 180-degree turn from whacked triumphs like "The Elephant Man", "Blue Velvet", "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" and "Mulholland Dr.". He quietly and methodically creates a G-rated family film that has deep messages for people of all ages and backgrounds. He paints a picture of America where the old ways of life are still the most important. Farnsworth (who is a total revelation) was in excruciating pain throughout filming due to terminal cancer and terrible arthritis. Notice he stands very little in the movie and he is almost always filmed from the waist up. Sadly this would be his final performance as he committed suicide shortly after his Oscar nod. He did become the oldest nominee ever in the Best Actor category, but really that will become trivial as time passes and his role will be the thing that shines brightly forever. Truly a legacy production for all involved. 5 stars out of 5.