1999: The Podcast #037 – The Straight Story – “Mt. Zion” – with Julia Sirmons
The Straight Story was that other 1999 movie about someone trying to get to a place called Zion.
In all seriousness, the beloved film about a man at the end of his life driving his lawnmower across the Midwest to visit his estranged brother is notable for a number of reasons.
It’s a rare G-rated non-aminated movie (though the rating itself is a source of some controversy). It comes from legendary weirdo auteur David Lynch, most famous for films like Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, and the TV series Twin Peaks, and yet it is astoundingly, aggressively naturalistic and warm.
And it’s the final film for stuntman-turned-actor Richard Farnsworth, whose performance carried the movie and whose health deteriorated as the film’s shoot went on. He would die shortly after its release.
And while the awards behemoth American Beauty has aged like fine milk, The Straight Story, which also featured on a ton of critics’ best-of lists from 1999, has only earned more and more admirers along the way.
Among them our guest today – Lynch fan and film writer Julia Sirmons, who you can learn more about here: juliasirmons.com
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