The Straight Story

Name: The Straight Story
Genre: Drama
Released: 1999-10-15
Duration: 1 h 52 min
Rating: 7.7
Cast: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Joseph A. Carpenter, Donald Wiegert

1999·Movie·G·112 min·★ 7.7(1,810)

Drama More English titles

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

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.

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Where to watch The Straight Story in United States

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Click a service to open The Straight Story there. Availability last verified on July 11, 2026.

Where is The Straight Story streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Disney Plus, Criterion Channel	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel, Channel 4 Plus	Amazon Video, Sky Store
Canada	MUBI	—
Australia	MUBI, Rialto Amazon Channel, MUBI Amazon Channel	Amazon Video
Germany	Amazon Arthaus Channel, Arthaus+ Apple TV channel, Arthaus+	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	MUBI, LaCinetek, Sooner, Molotov TV	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Canal VOD
Spain	Filmin	—
Japan	U-NEXT, Indie Films by Realto Amazon Channel	—
South Korea	wavve, Watcha	wavve, Google Play Movies

About The Straight Story

The Straight Story is a 1999 English-language drama film directed by David Lynch. The cast is led by Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz. It has a runtime of 1h 52m. Viewers rate it 7.7/10 across 1800 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Disney Plus, Criterion Channel.

The Straight Story was produced by Les Films Alain Sarde, Picture Factory, and Le Studio Canal+ and made in United States of America and United Kingdom. It was released on October 15, 1999, and carries a G certification. Made on a budget of about $10 million, it went on to gross $6 million worldwide.

Director: David Lynch
Writers: John Roach, Mary Sweeney
Release date: October 15, 1999
OTT release: April 30, 2020
Original language: English
Age rating: G
Status: Released
Country: United States of America, United Kingdom
Budget: $10 million
Box office: $6 million
Production: Les Films Alain Sarde, Picture Factory, Le Studio Canal+

#sibling relationship#mississippi river#wisconsin#lawnmower#iowa#melancholy#biography#based on true story#road trip#family relationships#family#nostalgic#road movie#journey

The Straight Story cast & crew

The Straight Story was directed by David Lynch and written by John Roach and Mary Sweeney.

The cast features Richard Farnsworth as Alvin, Sissy Spacek as Rose, Jane Galloway Heitz as Dorothy, Joseph A. Carpenter as Bud, Donald Wiegert as Sig, and Tracey Maloney as Nurse.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Angelo Badalamenti, cinematography is by Freddie Francis, and it was produced by Pierre Edelman and Neal Edelstein.

Is The Straight Story worth watching?

The Straight Story holds an audience score of 7.7/10 from 1,810 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 1h 52m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama, The Straight Story is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Straight Story

In United States, you can stream The Straight Story on Disney Plus and Criterion Channel, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

It first became available to stream digitally on April 30, 2020.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.