The Straight Story

1999 · TMDB 7.7

Directed by David Lynch

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Richard Farnsworth Sissy Spacek Jane Galloway Heitz Joseph A. Carpenter Donald Wiegert Tracey Maloney Dan Flannery Jennifer Edwards Ed Grennan Jack Walsh Gil Pearson Barbara June Patterson

Director · David Lynch Producer · Alain Sarde Producer · Mary Sweeney Producer · Neal Edelstein Writer · Mary Sweeney Writer · John Roach Cinematography · Freddie Francis Composer · Angelo Badalamenti Editor · Mary Sweeney

Runtime: 112 min
Released: 1999-10-15
Studio: Les Films Alain Sarde
Country: United States of America
Language: English
TMDB score: 7.7

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Community reviews

Tim Laws

2026-03-24

What a beautiful film and wonderful ending! Glad I saved this one for the last 27 years. Not sure 19 year old me would've "got it". At 45, the idea of making a long, slow, quiet journey through picturesque landscapes during the day and sitting round a campfire at night smoking cigars is pretty much life goals.