Parents' Guide to

The Straight Story

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Great, but young kids may be bored and restless.

Movie G 1999 112 minutes
The Straight Story Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Jcjcjc1
Jcjcjc1 Adult
July 2, 2021
age 18+

G-rated, but...

...bad language in the first 5 minutes ("what the he..." over and over)
zetetic
zetetic Adult
April 9, 2020
age 4+

Great for the whole family

Forget the reviews saying this will bore kids, maybe some will be bored but it is no reason to not watch it. The film is slow which is something different to most things we watch, it is good to expose kids to something besides fast paced action and tomfoolery. There are plenty of topics to keep the conversations flowing with the family. We showed our 3 boys who are 4, 6 and 8 and they all enjoyed it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this seemingly simple story, 73 year old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), sets off to visit his estranged brother, after hearing that he has had a stroke. Alvin uses two canes and can't see well enough to drive. So he hitches a trailer to his riding mower and sets off on a 300-mile journey from Iowa to Wisconsin, encountering along the six-week drive a range of people, landscapes, and adventures. On his journey, Alvin meets an engaging assortment of people, including a teen- age runaway, a team of bicyclists, twin repairmen, and a man who spent his career working for John Deere, and is unfailingly treated with kindness and dignity.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

Don't let the G-rating and the Disney label mislead you - this is an adult movie in the old-fashioned sense of the word, meaning that its story and themes will most appeal to adults and some teens. It gets a G rating because it does not have any of the usual triggers for a PG or PG- 13 rating. Thoughtful middle- and high schoolers and adults will find a lot to appreciate and talk about.

Children who watch a lot of television and movies often develop what psychologists call the "mean world" syndrome. Based on what they learn about the adult world from the media, their estimates of the incidence of murder and corruption are distorted way out of proportion to reality. And our cautions about not talking to strangers contribute further to their sense that the world is a dangerous place. This movie is a nice antidote to that. Also, Richard speaks feelingly to people he meets about the importance of the bond between siblings. This is a point that is always worth raising to kids who think that there may never be a day when they will have more to talk to their brothers and sisters about than whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the essential decency of all of the characters in this movie, and the film's strong themes of the importance of family.

Movie Details

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