THEMOVIES

A road movie at five miles an hour about the autumn years of Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), who putters atop his lawnmower for 300 miles through America's Midwest to visit his estranged and terminally ill brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton). While cars and trucks zoom along seemingly endless roads, Alvin steers steadily toward his destination, camping out under the stars—a kind of an Easy Rider. A story in the slow lane about peace, wisdom and the simple virtues of life. Along the way, he encounters characters from all walks of life: a pregnant hitchhiker, a neurotic motorist, a bunch of cyclists, and a fellow WWII veteran, with whom he shares some of his most poignant memories. A picturesque and at times deeply moving odyssey. David Lynch delivers, in the words of one critic, “a film that is a triumph of writing, directing, casting, acting, photography, and soundtrack—all the things that make a film take flight.”