Review of The Straight Story (1999) by Richie W — 18 Nov 2009

One of the reasons Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks are such powerful experiences is how David Lynch is able to capture the spirit of the common man and then entirely smash your face with bizarre ruthlessness. In fact I can?t think of any director that feels more comfortable with rural characters than Lynch, which is peculiar since his films are so damn surreal. Here in The Straight Story Lynch only shows his ?good? side.

I gave this film a look only to more complete my Lynch catalog. The Straight Story does have a Lynchian feel with the way he moves the camera slowly almost as if filming pieces of fine art. Also, the way the score foretells the upcoming scene is so Lynchian that I kept expecting Willem Dafoe to jump into the frame a blow the top half of his head off at any moment.

Alas, the story of some old dude riding his tractor for weeks on end is rated G for a reason. It is a touching story that is not my cup of tea, but one that I did find relaxing and somewhat enjoyable. Enough that it will garner a lukewarm positive rating from me. I think the 95% the film gets from RT is a bit high, but still, if you enjoy a heart warming tale with real and well defined characters you will probably love this one.