The Straight Story

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I was stunned to see this film listed among the top 120 all-time. Press and friends raved about the film when released, and when I went to the theatre showing, it was one of perhaps 5 films ever I wish I had left early. I enjoy character studies, both presented alone as themselves (which I think this film intended), or as adding richness to any genre. Only 1-2 such scenes are worth viewing for the character/acting quality. Unfortunately these are interspersed all-too-infrequently across hour after hour of the annoying themesong against an endless backdrop of cornrows. Even the syrupy-sweet ending is lacking, with painfully short and empty dialogue.

I've sat through movies that audiences have found slow. Ride with the Devil is one of my favorite movies of the year. The Straight Story is exceedingly bad in every aspect (save a decent performance from crusty old man Richard Farnsworth as a crusty old man). Lynch's direction poorly balances Lynchian humor with melodramatic sap. Quite awful, and I don't understand everyone's love for this tremendously overrated film.

This is one of those over-rated films that has you scratching your head with regard to the accolades heaped on it. I guess if you go to Hollywood movies, it may seem like a nice respite to see Mid-America on the big screen. However, if you're a film buff, you'll find the story thin and the acting weak. The opening scene is very strong & interesting. Sissy Spacek is the only thing that redeems this film, however Lynch ditches her character once the central character undertakes his journey (another short coming of the film). As the main character undertakes his journey we see numerous shots of amber waves of grain while Badalameti's score is playing (yawn). All the characters we meet along the way are over-acted, particularly the smarmy couple he stays with. Harry Dean Stanton does a rather poor job as the brother & the dialogue between the 2 is completely phoney.

source: The Straight Story

No matter where you are on your journey, the meanders past, present and still to come, you'll take something from this endearing tale about an elderly man and his adventures on a very long journey to see his brother by mini tractor. Meeting and interacting with numerous people on his way, who each have a relatable story to share, along with a few the old timer shares with us - you're left feeling reflective on your own directions, what they mean and where it is they're taking you, and those around you too. Beautifully performed, filmed and scripted, it's never too late to rebuild bridges broken, or indeed, build new ones into the future.

This is not a movie for fans of the usual eerie Lynch stuff. Rather, it's for those who either appreciate a good story, or have grown tired of the run-of-the-mill stuff with overt sentimentalism and Oprah-ish "This is such a wonderful movie! You must see it!"-semantics (tho' she IS right, for once!). The story unfolds flawlessly, and we are taken along a journey that, I believe, most of us will come to recognize at some time. A compassionate, existentialist journey where we make amends för our past when approaching ourt inevitable demise. Acting is without faults, cinematography likewise (occasionally quite brilliant!), and the dialogue leaves out just enough for the viewer to grasp the details od the story. A warm movie. Not excessively sentimental.

Whenever I hear a movie being touted because it has no sex, violence, bad language, special effects, and so on, my b.s. detector goes off. Usually, a movie like that is sentimental hogwash which panders to people who don't want anything to surprise them, but to affirm how superior they are to us craven folk. So when David Lynch's THE STRAIGHT STORY began getting those kinds of reviews, I was apprehensive, especially since I was not a fan of his other "uplifting" story, THE ELEPHANT MAN. For all the stunning images and the good acting in that film, it seemed more interested in preaching to us than inspiring us. I needn't have worried. THE STRAIGHT STORY is an honest movie rather than a saccharine one. Most of that is due to the fact that Lynch and writers John Roach and Mary Sweeney tell it straight and simple for the most part. There are a couple of homilies by Straight I could have done without, and the shots of grain being harvested are repeated a little too much, but those are only quibbles. There's no heavy-handed message, no sentimental strings to jerk our emotions, and no condescension towards us and its characters. Instead, they depend on the story to build its own power, and it does, so by the final scene, we are genuinely moved. Of course, casting Richard Farnsworth adds realism to the part. He really is someone who looks like he's lived through a lot but still perseveres, and except for those homilies, the desire he has to get back together with his brother doesn't seem overly sentimental, because you can sense here is someone who's lived too long and seen too much to be driven by anger for long. And he knows his time is running out, so he wants to make some peace, not only with his brother, but with his life. Sissy Spacek also does fine, unmannered work as Straight's daughter. And although I am a city and suburban boy, the Iowa and Wisconsin landscape are beautifully shot, making me want at least to visit some day.