Review of The Straight Story (1999) by Kenneth L — 19 Dec 2011

Although you never hear about it, this is actually one of David Lynch's very best movies. It is one of the most unexpected movies ever - a G-rated, inspirational, Disney-produced movie directed by David Lynch. Seems impossible, right? But it totally works.

Based on a true story, the movie follows a handicapped, 73-year-old farmer named Alvin Straight (an Oscar-nominated Richard Farnsworth) who hears that his brother has had a stroke, and decides to drive 240 miles on his tiny lawnmower to visit him. It's inherently emotional material, with an inherent risk of sentimentality, but fortunately the movie avoids that. He meets some people along the way who help him, and we also get to see his relationship with his slightly mentally-challenged daughter (Sissy Spacek).

The movie is warm, down-to-earth, and straightforward, as the title suggests. Farnsworth is fantastic as the stubborn and proud old man; apparently he was actually physically suffering from cancer and paralysis, disabling him in much the same way his character is disabled. The performance feels incredibly genuine and well-earned. Sissy Spacek, though she mostly just appears in the earlier scenes, is also extremely good as the daughter. You know how Robert Downey, Jr. said in Tropic Thunder, "You never go full retard"? Well, Spacek's performance as a mentally challenged woman here is beautifully balanced; she goes just retard enough to suggest the character's difficulties without overplaying it and still making us understand that she is quite capable in her own way. Other supporting performances come in and last for a scene or two, but they're all just what the movie needs.

It's funny how this movie is both nothing like Lynch's other work, and at the same time totally characteristic of Lynch. Here's how it's not like other Lynch movies: there's no violence, no sex, no hideous creatures, no people turning into other people, no arcane symbols or images, and the narrative is utterly clear. Here's how it is like other Lynch movies: you know that curiously sincere pastoral feeling you get from the early scenes of Blue Velvet, or the opening credits sequence of Twin Peaks? Imagine that sort of note played with complete sincerity for an entire movie. There are a couple of moments of seemingly typical Lynch weirdness - such as the woman who keeps running into deer in her car, or the woman on the lawn chair in the opening sequence - but even they don't feel out of place or unrealistic. The movie is visually beautiful, with lots of shots of cornfields and such, and clear cinematography; I can't think of another movie that captures the sense of being outside on a sunny day better. It is also helped out greatly by a pastoral musical score by Lynch's usual collaborator Angelo Badalamenti, which, for my money, is his best score. This material really brought out much of what is best in David Lynch, and I wish he would try his hand at similar things again in the future.