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The Straight Story

The Straight Story

Drama · 1999

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.

Movie details

The Straight Story

“A true story that proves a little determination goes a very, very long way.”

1999 Drama 1h 52m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.7 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Straight Story?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.

Minari

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A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

Drama · 1992

The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess where they've been and where they're going.

Nomadland

Nomadland

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A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.

Mud

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Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

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Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.

Take Me to the River

Take Me to the River

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

David Lynch

Written by

John Roach · Mary Sweeney

Richard Farnsworth

Richard Farnsworth

Alvin

Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek

Rose

Jane Galloway Heitz

Jane Galloway Heitz

Dorothy

J

Joseph A. Carpenter

Bud

D

Donald Wiegert

Sig

Tracey Maloney

Tracey Maloney

Nurse

Dan Flannery

Dan Flannery

Doctor Gibbons

Court is in session

Put The Straight Story on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.