Witness the true story of Alvin Straight, an old-timer American gentleman. Behind the wheel of his John Deere lawnmower, pulling a makeshift trailer, he leaves his daughter and travels hundreds of miles from Iowa to Wisconsin, crossing county lines, to reconnect with his estranged brother.
‘The Straight Story' is not the kind of road movie film you would expect from director David Lynch. Best-remembered for his grotesque, fantastical and often labyrinthine stories such as ‘The Elephant Man', ‘Eraserhead' and ‘Mulholland Drive', Lynch took on the project after falling in love with the script by his long-time collaborator, Mary Sweeney.
The film takes on an additional layer of poignancy because Richard Farnsworth, playing the title role, was terminally ill during filming. At the end of his seventh decade, with a lived-in face and twinkling, misty eyes, Farnsworth is perfectly cast. He imbues Straight with dignity, home-spun wisdom and a whole heap of stubbornness. Sissy Spacek, known for her breakout roles in horror classic ‘Carrie' and the Terrence Malick classic ‘Badlands', gives a brilliant performance as Alvin's daughter. With a speech impediment and learning difficulties, Rose isn't an easy part to play with authenticity, but Spacek creates a rounded and sympathetic human being. As Alvin's brother is character actor Harry Dean Stanton who popped up in classic movies as diverse as ‘Cool Hand Luke', ‘Alien' and ‘The Green Mile'. With very few lines and only a few minutes of screen time, Stanton turns in a seemingly effortless performance that is full of his customary gravity.
The film belongs to Farnsworth, as it's Alvin who remains the centre of the story as he travels across the country. As an amiable old man who makes friends everywhere he goes, the story is a little like the later novel ‘The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared' by Jonas Jonasson. Unlike that novel, there is no fantastical element to ‘The Straight Story', which is appropriately titled. Sharing wartime traumas and telling a perfect stranger of an incident that has haunted his life in the decades since (in order to make that stranger feel better about his survivor's guilt), is one of many beautiful, life-affirming moments. There's also the shared supper around the campfire with a pregnant runaway (played by Anastasia Webb) that is charming and truthful.
David Lynch's assured direction allows the story the time and space to breathe. If anything, it is a touch ponderous in the opening twenty minutes, but after the first act, the world of Alvin Straight is thoroughly engrossing. There are two other fine achievements that lift the film. The tender incidental music by Angelo Badalamenti, who had worked with Lynch on ‘Blue Velvet', complements the tone of the piece perfectly without tipping into sentimentality. Filmed entirely on location between Iowa and Wisconsin, ‘The Straight Life' does wonders for tourism to the USA, showcasing quaint small towns, pastoral scenes and long straight roads through acres of glorious farmland.
As a fan of Lynch's work, which has occasionally left me baffled, I was surprised I'd never previously caught ‘The Straight Story'. It is very close to being Lynch's masterpiece, overlooked perhaps on account of how dissimilar it is to much of his output. If not always profound, ‘The Straight Story' is certainly emotional, good-hearted and thoughtful. It is full of wonderful moments held together by a spellbinding central performance. It's the kind of endearing human story that is once seen, never forgotten.
Extra features include an audio Commentary by film critic Peter Tonguette and featurettes ‘Mark And Bob Tell It Straight' and ‘Straight & Narrow: Inside The Film'. The first is a twenty-minute guide to the locations which are such an important part of the movie's tone, and the second is a shorter look at ‘The Straight Story' in the context of Lynch's wider career. There is also a segment on the musical score and an archive twenty-minute interview with director David Lynch made during the shooting of the movie, plus longer footage taken at the church location. The 4K UHD resolution makes the picture quality incredibly sharp. It could have been filmed yesterday rather than quarter of a century ago. All in all, a fine package that does justice to a remarkable film.
Cast: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton, Everett McGill, John Farley, Kevin Farley Director: David Lynch Writer: John Roach, Mary Sweeney Running time: 112 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 9th February 2026 Buy ‘The Straight Story'
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