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Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a second thought to the dunderheads that think the world will end with the onset of the new millennium. But who was counting on two G-rated films being among the best of this year's releases? Scarier yet is the fact that both films were directed by two of the last people you would ordinarily associate with a G-rated film - David Mamet (The Winslow Boy) and here, David Lynch's The Straight Story. Mamet's forte seems to be cramming as many expletives into a film as humanly possible, while Lynch's films are a mélange of adult language, kinky sex, gratuitous violence and deranged characters. The Straight Story is a different story altogether.
Story begins with several shots of a small Midwestern town - houses, people, businesses, landscapes. Since Lynch is involved in the project, I held my breath waiting for the camera to pan down and reveal a detached body part laying in a field (a la Blue Velvet). But it doesn't happen. The film's protagonist is 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), a kindly old codger with bad hips, diabetes and emphysema. Despite his declining physical health, Straight refuses his doctor's advice, rebuffing the need for surgery, tests, x-rays and the use of a walker. Straight is a widower and lives with his slow-witted daughter Rose (Sissy Spacek, Blast From the Past).
When he gets news that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a stroke, Straight decides at once that he needs to visit his sibling in Wisconsin. With no car, a mentally challenged daughter, failing eyesight and the inability to walk more than a few steps at a time, Straight begins the trip from Laurens, Iowa to Wisconsin the only way he can - on his riding lawnmower. The trip takes many weeks and Straight encounters the typical road-movie hazards along the way, including breakdowns, hitchhikers, inclement weather and traffic accidents. As he chomps on cold hot dogs, he slowly waves to slack-jawed onlookers that don't seem sure whether to laugh, salute or wave back.
Probably best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in the Alan J. Pakula western Comes a Horseman, Farnsworth gives one of the year's best and most heartfelt performances, and is destined for year-end recognition. His Straight is reminiscent of Peter Fonda's Oscar-nominated turn in Ulee's Gold, with both mature characters going to any length to preserve their family in films that take their time to unravel. Spacek is memorable as the birdhouse-building Rose and could also garner accolades if Disney gives the film a big marketing push. But Story could be overshadowed by the Mouse House's unusual number of Oscar-contenders this year, including The Sixth Sense and The Insider. Each is capable of receiving multiple nods.
Lynch's (Lost Highway) direction has never been better than it is here, reminding viewers how much can be said with long shots, a good score and minimal dialogue. He more than effectively portrays the severity of Straight's physical condition, as well as just how slowly his lawnmower travels down the long, country roads. And speaking of the score, it's amazing. Longtime Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti crafts one beautiful melody after another, using more guitars in Story that we're used to hearing from the composer. The film is wisely set in the fall, so viewers will be treated to lush, colorful scenery that seems to burst off of the screen. Another old-timer, 82-year-old cinematographer Freddie Francis (an Oscar winner for Glory) provides the beautiful visuals. Remarkably, the film is based on a true story and is adapted by debut screenwriters John Roach and Mary Sweeney, the latter also serving as the film's editor.
1:51 - Rated G for good ol' fun
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