10 Famous Directors Who Completely Changed Style For One Movie

A PG-rated movie from David Lynch. Yes, that really happened.

Known primarily as a purveyor of all things surreal and depraved, most people know David Lynch for his work on the unfortunately short-lived supernatural crime serial Twin Peaks, or for grim psychological dramas like Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.

There's absolutely nothing "straightforward" or "not creepy" about Lynch's storytelling and presentation, and yet, for one brief moment in 1999, the world was gifted this decidedly conventional film about an old man riding his lawnmower from Iowa to Wisconsin to repair his relationship with his estranged brother.

Lynch somehow crafted a quintessential American road movie, one that even kids were allowed to watch. Straight Story - with an appropriate nod to its orthodox narrative right in the title - is still quirky, but it's a far cry from The Elephant Man or Eraserhead.

Interestingly enough, the director considers this his most experimental film to date, which further proves that David Lynch is unlike any person who has ever existed. In reality or fiction.