The Straight Story

Quiet, profound, perfectly judged, this David Lynch charmer amazes as much by what it doesn’t do as what it does. With an unblinking refusal to ingratiate, it slows a medium devoted to the young and the quick down to old-man-on-a-lawnmower pace. Pared to essentials -- wide empty spaces and small mute gestures -- the film blossoms with feeling and spirit. Richard Farnsworth is uncanny as the sick old man with an unhappy history, who sets out on an unlikely mission of reconciliation with his estranged brother, 350 miles across Iowa on a John Deere riding mower. This could hardly be more un-Disney, but there you go -- this counter-intuitive match of director and studio is an unlikely total success. Sissy Spacek and Harry Dean Stanton make the most of their moments, as the damaged but dutiful daughter and the stroke-stunned brother, and all the characters met along the road reek of rural authenticity. Both the sweeping cinematography and the haunting music help slow the beat of this film, till it achieves perfect synch with the viewer’s heart. A more than worthy entry in the Cinematic Landscapes film series, and something that has to be seen on the big screen. (1999, dvd@cai, r.) *9* (MC-86, RT-95.)