Review of The Straight Story (1999) by Jens S — 26 Feb 2013

A David Lynch movie without murder, switched personalities, inner monologues or even the slightest hint of cynicism? Unbelievable? Indeed. And yet that's exactly what he delivered here with the heart-warming story of an old man traveling 500 miles on a lawnmower to see his ill brother.

Of course the film is as slow as that sounds, but still so refreshingly kind-hearted, sweet and entertaining. Alvin Straight, incredibly convincing and lovably portrayed by the late Richard Farnsworth, meets people on the road and shares his experience with them.

It is his face that stays with you long after the film, as well as the beautiful images of the fields he travels along, while the fiddles hum their Americana sounds. A beautiful, rewarding and deeply humane feel-good story that deserves all the praise it got.