10 Underrated Films From 1999

Based on the true story of Alvin Straight, a man who rode his lawnmower across several states to visit his sick brother, David Lynch tones down his surrealism and quirkiness to give us this earnest film about coming to terms with your life when you’re near the end.

While Lynch’s direction and Angelo Badalamenti’s score give this offbeat road trip plenty of heart, it’s Richard Farnsworth’s warm, sincere performance that holds this story together. He says so much with sad, glistening eyes, and he makes Alvin so likeable that you have no trouble following him on this bewildering journey.

While one of his more conventional films, Lynch still finds spots to inject his offbeat sense of humour. Alvin meets plenty of weirdos and quirky small-town types on his journey, and it’s the connections he makes with these people that serve as the whole point of the story. When you’re as close to the end of your life as Alvin—and Farnsworth in real life—every relationship feels significant.