The Straight Story
1999 · Movie · G · 112 min · ★ 7.7 · 91% critics
An older retired farmer, newly worried about his estranged brother, sets out from Iowa to Wisconsin to make things right while he still can. With no car and no driver’s license, he travels on his old lawnmower, turning the trip into a slow, picturesque journey filled with encounters and reflection.
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Details
- Years
- 1999
- Release date
- 1999-10-15
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Critic score
- 91/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.7/10 (1,797 votes)
- Box office
- $6,203,044
- Budget
- $10,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this gentle, real-life inspired odyssey if you like warm, reflective road stories like Temple Grandin or Rudy; Not for you if you want fast action or lots of modern convenience.
Pros: heartfelt road journey; mellow Americana feel; memorable central performance | Cons: very slow pacing; lots of farmland travel
Themes
- sibling relationship
- mississippi river
- wisconsin
- lawnmower
- iowa
- biography
- based on true story
- road trip
- family relationships
- biting
- family
- road movie
- +4 more
Awards & recognition
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Male Lead · 2000
- European Film Award — Best Non-European Film · 1999
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Actor · 1999
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2000 · nominated
Show all 13 awards →
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Director · 2000 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Male Lead · 2000 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best First Screenplay · 2000 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture · 2000 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Non-European Film · 1999 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 1999 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Original Score · 1999 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Cinematography · 1999 · nominated
Cast & crew
Richard Farnsworth
as Alvin
Sissy Spacek
as Rose
Jane Galloway Heitz
as Dorothy
- JC
Joseph A. Carpenter
as Bud
- DW
Donald Wiegert
as Sig
Tracey Maloney
as Nurse
Dan Flannery
as Doctor Gibbons
- JE
Jennifer Edwards
as Brenda
- EG
Ed Grennan
as Pete
Jack Walsh
as Apple
Directed by David Lynch