THE STRAIGHT STORY A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
Walt Disney presents a G-rated movie by David Lynch.
Yes, that David Lynch. The one that did BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS and LOST HIGHWAY and about the last director you'd expect to hook up with Disney to do a live-action, G-rated film based on a true story. What's next? Brian De Palma with a sequel to BAMBI?
Every week, it seems, brings another absolutely trivial coming-of-age movie featuring a bunch of crude, oversexed teens. In stark contrast, THE STRAIGHT STORY is a closing-of-age story filled with a generous spirit and wonderfully sympathetic characters. It never toys with your emotions or insults your intelligence.
At the heart of the story, Richard Farnsworth (THE GREY FOX) gives an Oscar worthy performance as 73-year-old Alvin Straight, a man on a mission. Alvin, who looks a decade older than his age, is in rapidly failing health. His doctor says he has emphysema and must give up smoking -- fat chance. Only with the help of his two canes is he able to hobble around.
All of the above notwithstanding, when he hears that his estranged brother has had a stroke, Alvin sets off to see him, no matter how difficult the trip is certain to be. Farnsworth with his intense eyes and the small curls of his lips displays Alvin's resoluteness and his suppressed pain. Every furrow of his brow contains some hidden thought and long repressed regret. In a highly nuanced performance, Farnsworth with tiny gestures reveals much but suggests more.
Sissy Spacek, in a small but important role, plays his grown daughter, Rose. Everyone says Rose, who has an unusual speech impediment, is slow, something that Alvin doesn't buy. Both Alvin and Rose have known tragedies that have scarred them, but each has managed to cope. They live together in a small house in a typical, little Midwestern town. She tries to restrain him and remind him of his fragility, but he will have none of it. "Rose, Darling, I'm not dead yet," he informs her with a father's sternness.
Without a driver's license (his bad eyes preclude him from obtaining one), Alvin sets off on a journey on the only vehicle available to him -- a small riding lawnmower, three decades old. Traveling a few miles per hour, he makes his life's last odyssey, going 350 miles from Iowa to Wisconsin. Taking six weeks, his journey becomes a personal crusade that taps every bit of his resilience. Frequently looking just two beats away from a heart attack, he presses on. A proudly stubborn and resourceful man, Alvin will let nothing come in the way of his goal.
The movie's delights are in the rich vignettes about the people Alvin encounters. A road picture of a very different type than you normally see, it is that rare movie which you can describe as slow and mean it sincerely as a compliment. From the pregnant teenage runaway to the World War II veteran, the people Alvin meets are beneficiaries of his small doses of solace and wisdom.
Alvin teaches you to take life one step at a time and relish every moment. From small pleasures like the starry sky to more dramatic ones like watching a lightning storm, he still approaches his surroundings with the awe of a young lad.
"What's the worst part of being old," one of the young strangers Alvin meets inquires of him. "The worst part of being old is remembering when you were young," Alvin replies with sad, longing eyes.
Some of the people he meets wonder if he isn't scared of camping out in the middle of nowhere at night, what with all of the weird people about today. "I fought in the trenches of World War II," he points out. "Why should I be afraid of an Iowa cornfield?"
Lynch, eschewing the many opportunities to turn the story maudlin, builds a mesmerizing picture that warms your heart without ever attempting to manipulate it. The touching story brings you close to a true individual and reminds you of what our elders are capable. By the end, you feel like you've taken an almost spiritual journey with Alvin and have gotten to witness some superlative acting in the process.
THE STRAIGHT STORY runs 1:41. It is rated G, and, although it would be fine for all ages, younger kids will probably find the pacing too slow to keep their interest.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: www.InternetReviews.com
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