The Straight Story
1999 · 112 min · Drama
Directed by David Lynch
“A true story that proves a little determination goes a very, very long way.”
Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
Why it's worth watching
This deeply moving, beautifully shot masterpiece tells the true story of an elderly man's determination to reconcile with his estranged brother. It captures the quiet dignity of ordinary Midwestern life, the value of community, and the wisdom that comes with age. It is a rare, slow-paced cinematic treasure that encourages viewers to slow down and appreciate the relationships that matter most.
What it praises
It highly praises family reconciliation, brotherly love, perseverance, humility, and the sacred value of lifelong commitments.
For discernment
This is a rare thing — a slow, reverent, essentially Christian film about an old man who drives a lawnmower across two states to reconcile with the dying brother he has been estranged from for a decade, and it treats forgiveness, repentance, and lifelong bonds as sacred without a trace of irony. Its wisdom is earned: Alvin's confession of a shameful wartime act and his counsel to strangers along the road carry real moral seriousness. A few honest notes: there is scattered mild profanity including 'God' and 'Lord' used loosely, the two brothers and other characters smoke and drink (with the film honest about the harm), and quiet grief threads through — a runaway pregnant girl, a woman who lost her children to a fire, a soldier's guilt. There is essentially nothing here to guard against and much to feed the soul; the only 'caution' is that its unhurried pace asks patience, and its themes of mortality and regret are grown-up.
- LanguageScattered mild profanity including 'd***,' several uses of 'hell,' and 'God'/'Lord' used loosely.
- SubstancesBoth brothers and other characters smoke and drink, though the film frankly acknowledges the harm alcohol and tobacco have done.
- NoteGrown-up themes of mortality, regret, and grief — a wartime death by friendly fire, a runaway pregnant teen, a woman who lost custody of her children after a fire.
Cast
Richard Farnsworth
Alvin
Sissy Spacek
Rose
Jane Galloway Heitz
Dorothy
Joseph A. Carpenter
Bud
Donald Wiegert
Sig
Tracey Maloney
Nurse
Dan Flannery
Doctor Gibbons
Jennifer Edwards
Brenda
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