The Straight Story

Sometimes a director’s best film and maybe even their most characteristic, if you really think about it, is the one you might least expect, as can be the surprising nature of auteurism.

When the movie’s end arrives, it’s a scene of cosmic beauty, accompanied by Angelo Badalamenti’s ethereal score—pure cinematic liftoff, a triumph of writing, direction, acting, casting, all the things that make a movie take flight.

... An elegiac portrait of a fading American heartland wrapped around a tear-jerking depiction of a man reflecting on his life losses with regret and resignation.

It's intriguing to watch the Lynch of Blue Velvet and Lost Highway feel his way toward a less wounding surrealism -- into images that have power to hurt and will do none.

It seems only fitting that Lynch's most unambiguous, sentimental film should concern a man named Straight and the title is entirely apposite.

Instead, like Alvin, [Lynch's] film sets out on its mission in its own unassuming way and; inviting as those campfire flames around which so many stories have been told.

Lynch directs the quiet saga of septuagenarian Alvin Straight piloting his riding lawnmower from Iowa to Wisconsin the way only Lynch knew how—equal parts tenderness, agony and entrancing patience.

If you're a sucker for sentimental Americana, this is of significantly higher quality than the genre usually manages.

Felt like soaking in an elegy for past time, and coming to terms with the consequences for a lifetime of actions. .... An ineffably gorgeous film, which becomes more affecting with every viewing. ... A celebration of what was and what will be.

A sweet, simple story that feels unorthodox for Lynch, but eventually reveals it contains a number of his signature themes and visuals. Farnsworth's Oscar nomination was well-deserved&#59; he anchors the film with humanity and boundless empathy.