Movie · 1999 · Drama, History · 1h 52m · G · English
Curator score: 9.1/10 (263.2K ratings)
A true story that proves a little determination goes a very, very long way.
Overview
Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
Ratings
Curator score: 9.1/10
IMDb: 8.0/10
Letterboxd: 4.18/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 86
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
David Lynch
Production
Les Films Alain Sarde, Picture Factory, Le Studio Canal+, Film4 Productions
Cast
Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Joseph A. Carpenter, Donald Wiegert, Tracey Maloney, Dan Flannery, Jennifer Edwards, Ed Grennan, Jack Walsh, Gil Pearson, Barbara June Patterson, Everett McGill, Anastasia Webb, Matt Guidry, Bill McCallum, Barbara E. Robertson, James Cada, Sally Wingert, Barbara Kingsley
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A quietly moving road movie about forgiveness, dignity, and the stubborn grace of ordinary life. It’s one of David Lynch’s warmest films, but it still carries his eye for landscape, silence, and emotional undercurrents.
Best for
Viewers who like gentle, reflective dramas
Fans of road movies and Midwestern Americana
People looking for a cathartic but understated tearjerker
Audiences interested in late-life reconciliation stories
Skip if
You want fast pacing or heavy plot twists
You prefer overtly stylized or surreal Lynch
You’re not in the mood for a meditative, low-key film
Overview
The Straight Story is a small miracle: a film about an elderly man riding a lawnmower across Iowa that becomes one of cinema’s most humane journeys. David Lynch strips away menace and mystery without losing his sensitivity to mood, letting the open road, the weather, and the people Alvin meets do the emotional work.
Worth noting
Richard Farnsworth gives the film its steady heartbeat, playing Alvin with pride, stubbornness, and deep regret. What could have been sentimental becomes something sturdier and more moving: a story about making peace before time runs out, and about how kindness can arrive in the plainest forms.
Bottom line
It’s also one of those rare films that feels both deeply American and quietly spiritual. The pacing is unhurried, the emotions are earned, and the final effect is less a big catharsis than a long exhale. If you want a film that leaves you softened rather than overwhelmed, this is an excellent choice.
Top Letterboxd reviews
David Sims (5★) · 6083 likes
SIG: What do you need that grabber for, Alvin?
ALVIN: Grabbin'.
(a perfect movie)
#1 gizmo fan (4.5★) · 5946 likes
I can't believe Lynch made a film that actually filled my heart with love and comfort instead of dread and confusion.
Josh Larsen (4★) · 4418 likes
I love how Lynch teases us with the possibility that this could go full Blue Velvet at any moment.
tyler (4★) · 3530 likes
walt disney pictures presents a film by david lynch is by far the best opening credit of all time
Logan Kenny (5★) · 2860 likes
people who don't think this is lynchian through and through are simply wrong honestly, it taps into the core themes of his work, the love and empathy that human beings can share with each other in spite of or because of trauma and pain, and that there is beauty all around us, even if it takes a 300 mile lawnmower ride to fully witness this. cried about 50 times, but one of those movies that makes your soul heal, that… more people who don't think this is lynchian through and through are simply wrong honestly, it taps into the core themes of his work, the love and empathy that human beings can share with each other in spite of or because of trauma and pain, and that there is beauty all around us, even if it takes a 300 mile lawnmower ride to fully witness this. cried about 50 times, but one of those movies that makes your soul heal, that… more
2013 · Drama, Adventure · 1h 55m · R · Curator 8.5/10 (234.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A similarly plainspoken Midwestern journey built on deadpan humor, regret, and family tension.
1998 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 1m · R · Curator 8.0/10 (147.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers drawn to rural settings and moral pressure, though this one turns far darker.