13. The Straight Story

Is it possible for an Oscar-nominated film to be considered "overlooked”? Especially if its nomination came for one of the ceremony's highest honors, Best Actor? Surprisingly, yes. For starters, Richard Farnsworth lost in the category, despite delivering the year's best performance as well as the best performance of his entire career. But in the long run of Oscar history, winners are remembered, and nominees are easily forgotten. Besides, most folks didn't know what to make of director David Lynch's unexpected u-turn in style, handing in a seemingly uneventful G-rated drama (the "straight" story -- get it?) released by Disney, of all people. And so audiences stayed away, leaving only critics and film buffs to beg their friends and families to see this unexpected treat.

A powerful true story about a quiet, stubborn, elderly man who travels 300 miles across several states on his only means of transportation -- his riding lawn mower -- to see his estranged ailing brother, Lynch's film works on its own pace, gently telling a simple tale about simple people. If movies could walk, this one would mosey. But don't call this ambling yarn uneventful; heck, the sheer power of seeing a man overcome so many obstacles to achieve a seemingly impossible goal is enough to not only grab your attention throughout, but to tug on your heart as well. And it's so gosh darn innocent in its portrait of human goodness that you'll soon be using words like "heck" and "gosh darn."

At the center of it all is Farnsworth's simple, pretense-free turn in the lead role, his final performance. It's a grand capper to a great career; Farnsworth's Alvin Straight is as watchable as he is believable, and seeing the actor work his magic while the movie unspools themes of family, redemption, and the kindness of strangers makes for an unforgettable movie experience. (David Cornelius)