On the surface,David Lynch’s underrated 1999 masterpieceThe Straight Storycouldn’t be further from the director’s typical style and subject matter. However, the road movie tackles many of the same themes and even has a lot of aesthetic similarities toLynch’s filmslikeBlue Velvet, and especially his TV showTwin Peaks. This may be difficult to comprehend considering that it is a G-rated Disney movie that has a huge beating heart and deep empathy for its characters, but neither of those things is foreign to Lynch.With Lynch having passed away at the age of 78,The Straight Storyis a fascinating film in the auteur’s work, a film that looks unlike anything he’s ever done before, yet has a heart that feels similar to his previous projects.
As withBlue VelvetandTwin Peaks, David Lynch has repeatedly shown an interest in the oft-ignored blue-collar regions of America that are in many ways the heart, soul, and backbone of the country. It says a lot about Lynch that his most horrific films,Lost Highway,Mulholland Drive, andInland Empire, are about the soul-sucking black hole that is Los Angeles, specifically Hollywood, all of which get increasingly nightmarish and surreal between 1997 and 2006.The Straight Story, which ironically came out betweenLost HighwayandMulholland Driveis perhaps his most straightforward love letter to parts of the U.S. wherein he finds the most solace and the best that human beings have to offer.What Is ‘The Straight Story’ About?
The Straight Storytells the real-life story of Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), a goodhearted elderly World War II veteran who travels across Iowa and Wisconsin on a lawn mower to visit his estranged brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) who has recently suffered a stroke. While theplot is quirky, the film is really an existential exercise in finding and restoring peace in one’s life, and in accepting the things which you cannot change.
Alvin goes on what can only be described as a spiritual odyssey across the beautiful midwestern plains during which he stops to receive help from kind strangers and reminisce about his time as a soldier. He has cathartic conversations with other elderly veterans in which he confronts his guilt and his demons, including alcoholism.His transformation into a more content and peaceful person is exhibited via subtle character changesthat are best experienced by simply watching the movie.The Straight Storydoes a tremendous job of capturing the negative space in one’s life where profound realizations are made. Alvin allows the quietness of the journey to reach him, opening himself up to all possibilities and insights. The film puts the viewer in a meditative state, utilizing David Lynch’s signature slow directing style to great effect.
‘The Straight Story’ Delivers Kooky Melodrama
While it seems odd on the surface thatDavid Lynch directed a Disney movie, what becomes immediately apparent upon watchingThe Straight Storyis that little if any of his signature style was abandoned to appease the House of Mouse. Behind and in front of the camera, fans of his work will recognize a plethora of familiar names and faces, including editorMary Sweeney, his longtime editor to whom much of the credit for his entire career is owed. The gorgeous score is composed byAngelo Badalamenti, Lynch’s longtime composer and musical collaborator (see the 2018 musical projectThought Gang). And of course, the reveal at the end of the film that Lyle Straight is played by Harry Dean Stanton almost feels like a fan service moment for an actor who has contributed so much of his own unique charisma to David Lynch’s career.
The movie is chockfull of dreamy, prolonged shots of Midwestern plains aided quite romantically by Badalamenti’s score, doing for the Midwest whatTwin Peaksdid for the Pacific Northwest. The film makes sure that the landscapes are as much a character as Alvin Straight himself.Every scene is filled with a deep warmth and tenderness, the kinds which always acted as trimming to his more esoteric and tonally complex films. When Lynch leans deeply into the emotions inBlue VelvetandTwin Peaks, it played off as both ironic and sincere, as if he is poking fun at and showing his love for the melodrama of American entertainment.
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InThe Straight Story, you get a much more sentimental but not schmaltzy version of the melodrama that we have come to love and expect from a David Lynch project. The film also makes sure to include the lovingly kooky character moments that his fans have come to expect. The side characters provide some of the best comic relief in the whole film, and yet they are played off extremely naturalistically. The characters inThe Straight Storyretain the same whimsy that the characters inTwin Peaksexhibit on a frequent basis but are not so whimsical as to take you out of the world and of the story. They truly feel like real people, not exaggerated caricatures of real people.
What Makes ‘The Straight Story’ a Standout David Lynch Movie?
David Lynch’sThe Straight Storyis a movie by a true auteur that can be loved and appreciated equally by both fans of his other work and those unfamiliar with it or those who just don’t like his usual surrealistic style. Instead of highlighting the darkness that resides behind our collectiveNorman Rockwell-esque vision of suburbia or of Hollywood, he decided to highlight the brightness that exists in places where one would least expect, and it truly paid off.
The Straight Storyis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
The Straight Story
The Straight Story follows Alvin Straight, a retired farmer, who embarks on a remarkable journey from Iowa to Wisconsin on a lawnmower to reconcile with his estranged brother after learning of his stroke. This film captures Alvin’s heartfelt travels across the Midwest, embracing themes of family and redemption.
