The Straight Story (1999)
Coming Out at 15 October 1999 in theaters.
Biography, Drama
The Straight Story is a biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. The film was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch’s longtime partner and collaborator. She co-wrote the script with John E. Roach. The film is based on the true story of Alvin Straight’s 1994 journey across Iowa and Wisconsin on a lawn mower. Alvin (Richard Farnsworth) is an elderly World War II veteran who lives with his daughter Rose (Sissy Spacek), a kind woman with an intellectual disability. When he hears that his estranged brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) has suffered a stroke, Alvin makes up his mind to go visit him and hopefully make amends before he dies. Because Alvin’s legs and eyes are too impaired for him to receive a driving license, he hitches a trailer to his recently purchased thirty-year-old John Deere 110 Lawn Tractor, having a maximum speed of about 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) and sets off on the 240 miles (390 km) journey from Laurens, Iowa to Mount Zion, Wisconsin.

The film was a critical success and garnered audience acclaim, although the overall gross proved less than expected. Reviewers praised the intensity of the character performances, particularly the realistic dialogue which film critic Roger Ebert compared to the works of Ernest Hemingway. It received a nomination for the Palme d’Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and Farnsworth received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Director: David Lynch
Writers: John Roach, Mary Sweeney
Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Donald Wiegert, Richard Farnsworth, Tracey Maloney, Dan Flannery
Cast
Sissy Spacek | … | Rose |
Jane Galloway Heitz | … | Dorothy |
Joseph A. Carpenter | … | Bud |
Donald Wiegert | … | Sig |
Richard Farnsworth | … | Alvin |
Tracey Maloney | … | Nurse |
Dan Flannery | … | Doctor Gibbons |
Jennifer Edwards-Hughes | … | Brenda |
Ed Grennan | … | Pete |
Jack Walsh | … | Apple |
Max the Wonder Dog | … | Farm Dog |
Gil Pearson | … | Bus Driver |
Barbara June Patterson | … | Woman on Bus |
Everett McGill | … | Tom the John Deere Dealer |
Anastasia Webb | … | Crystal |
Matt Guidry | … | Steve |
Bill McCallum | … | Rat |
Barbara E. Robertson | … | Deer Woman |
James Cada | … | Danny Riordan |
Sally Wingert | … | Darla Riordan |
Barbara Kingsley | … | Janet Johnson |
Jim Haun | … | Johnny Johnson |
Wiley Harker | … | Verlyn Heller |
Randy Wiedenhoff | … | Fireman #1 |
Jerry E. Anderson | … | Fireman #2 |
Kevin P. Farley | … | Harald |
John Farley | … | Thorvald |
John Lordan | … | Priest |
Garrett Sweeney | … | Boy in Truck |
Peter Sweeney | … | Boy in Truck |
Tommy Fahey | … | Boy in Truck |
Matt Fahey | … | Boy in Truck |
Dan Fahey | … | Boy in Truck |
Russ Reed | … | Mt. Zion Bartender |
Leroy Swadley | … | Bar Patron |
Ralph Feldhacker | … | Farmer on Tractor |
Harry Dean Stanton | … | Lyle |
Stephen Cinabro | … | Policeman |
Gary D’Amico | … | Cyclist #1 |
George A. Farr | … | Wendell |
Jeremy Kent Jackson | … | Andy |
Lana Schwab | … | Old Lady #1 |
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