For me, sentimentalism is a pejorative, used to dismiss the treacly and the mawkish, tearjerkers that don’t deserve to make me choke up and love stories whose tugs on my heartstrings I resent. But sentiment in stories I crave, as long as it’s bona fide, honest, mysterious, well-earned. If you ever need to make this distinction clear to someone, THE STRAIGHT STORY (like TENDER MERCIES) is a splendid example of the real thing. Based on the real-life journey of an old man who drove his riding lawnmower for six weeks across Iowa and Wisconsin to visit his ailing brother, this spare, straightforward film was directed, bizarrely, by David Lynch, the master (TWIN PEAKS, LOST HIGHWAY, MULHOLLAND DRIVE) of the ostentatiously opaque and bizarre. (Not surprisingly, this is the only Lynch film that he didn’t write.) Richard Farnsworth (as the old man, Alvin Straight) and Sissy Spacek (as his daughter) are impeccable, the Indian summer cornscapes perfect, and the silence golden. (Kurt Andersen)

Awards

Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Nominee: David Lynch; Academy Award Nominee: Best Actor (Richard Farnsworth); Independent Spirit Award Winner: Best Male Lead (Richard Farnsworth);
Independent Spirit Award Nominuee: Best Feature; Independent Spirit Award Nominee: Best Director (David Lynch)