Review of The Straight Story (1999) by Jonathan N — 27 Oct 2007

A warm, affecting story about the importance of family. The added knowledge that Richard Farnsworth killed himself not long after making this film adds power and verisimilitude to his dignified performance. (He was, I believe, fighting cancer at the time.).

The scene in the bar where two old men open their hearts about the horrors of war for the first time in fifty years gets me every time. Their pain and sense of guilt cuts through you.

I also love the campfire scene where he likens a bundle of sticks to the stength of family. Same goes for the scene where Sissy Spacek looks out her window at a child playing.

The lasting message from the film is that everyone has a story. There are struggles at every stage in life. Alvin encounters almost every age group on his journey and it's no accident that one of his last nights on this journey is spent camping in a graveyard. Full circle.

In an age of orks, wizards and superheroes, it is gives me hope that simple and uplifting films like this are still made. Just not enough of them. The acting, directing, music and cinematogrophy are all first class. It is not a Friday or Saturday night movie. It is a rainy Sunday afternoon film. Don't let the pace put you off. Stick with it and you will be rewarded.

At a time when GWB, Cheney, Paris, Britney et al create our (false and stereotyped) impression of America, this film reaffirms that Capra's decent, honourable and vulnerable America is still alive and well and living in Iowa. Yes, it's a sentimental film but I think that's the point. Warmly Recommended.