Cool Movie Alert - the Straight Story

Almost certainly the most straight-forward movie David Lynch has made to date, the Straight Story is a charmer.

73 year old Alvin Straight (The Grey Fox's Richard Farnsworth) lives in Iowa with his speech impaired, yet sharp as a tack, daughter (Sissy Spacek). One day he gets a phone call telling him that his brother Lyle (criminally under-used Harry Dean Stanton) has had a stroke.

Alvin & Lyle fell out & haven't spoken in more than 10 years. But Alvin realises that whatever it was they argued about, really doesn't matter, and that he should make a 320 mile journey to see Lyle & put the past to rest.

Problem is, Alvin can't drive, he can hardly walk, his daughter can't drive either, and they don't have money for a bus.

But Alvin does have a John Deere ride-on lawnmower, and hitching a trailer to the back of that he begins a 6 week journey across Iowa & Wisconsin, meeting various people along the way.

This may be the slowest road movie in history. It may also be the most heart warming.

Beautifully filmed, Lynch takes time out from ripping the scab off a festering America, to celebrate its beauty & spirit. He must be mellowing....

Richard Farnsworth is brilliant (if you haven't seen the Grey Fox, do take that one in too, he was old even then!), as is Sissy Spacek. And dang me if it didn't make want to run out this weekend & buy a John Deere ride on mower...