The Straight Story (1999) – Filming Locations
Drama · Directed by David Lynch · Starring Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek
Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
Where was The Straight Story filmed?
- Laurens, Iowa, United States, Laurens – Alvin's home town where the film begins; opening scenes of Alvin preparing his lawnmower. Lynch filmed extensively in this small Iowa town, establishing the rural American heartland aesthetic central to the film's identity
- Madison, Wisconsin, United States, Madison – Alvin passes through Madison during his lawnmower journey across the Midwest. A key stop on Alvin's cross-state journey, filmed on location to capture the real landscape of his pilgrimage
- Waterloo, Iowa, United States, Waterloo – Alvin travels through this Iowa city on his lawnmower journey. Part of the authentic Midwestern route that Alvin takes on his lawnmower across Iowa
- Scenic Highway 20, Iowa, United States, Various – The primary route of Alvin's lawnmower journey across the state. Lynch filmed along this iconic American highway to show the genuine rural landscape Alvin traverses on his slow journey
- Dubuque, Iowa, United States, Dubuque – Alvin arrives in Dubuque, where his brother lives, concluding his lawnmower journey. The film's destination location, where Alvin reunites with his estranged brother Harry after riding his lawnmower across two states