Hey, Rose.
Hey, Dorothy.
I'm gonna go over there.
We're waitin'.
Alvin.
Alvin Straight!
Rose left a couple of hours ago.
Did you hear me hollerin' for Rose? I wasn't lookin' for Rose.
- I haven't seen Alvin today. - Did I ask?
Straight, you're late!
Alvin!
- Come in, Bud. - What the... Alvin?!
Where the hell are you?
I can't see a thing.
Over here, Bud. Watch your step.
What the hell's going on?
What are you doin' layin' on the floor? You nuts?
Supposed to be down at Davmar's one hour ago.
What's going on?
Oh, my God!
Hey, Dorothy.
What's the number for 911?
- No, Dorothy. - What you doin'?
I'll call the bar and tell 'em we're not comin'.
Are you crazy? We have a stricken man here.
Are you stricken, Alvin?
Put the phone down!
Dad, what's all the yellin'?
Wh-what... uh, have you done to my dad?
Oh, for cry eye!
Dad?
Are you OK, Dad?
I just need a little help gettin' up, honey.
I'm goin' to Davmar's. I'll be right back.
OK, Bud.
I'm not goin'.
Dad.
I'm not goin'.
You promised me, Dad.
OK, Mr Straight, put this robe on.
Just bring me the doctor.
You like birds.
I build... uh, birdhouses... uh, for bluebirds.
Oh, that's nice.
Yeah, it's Pete... uh, Pete sells my...
uh, birdhouses... at the Ace Hardware.
- I'll look for them next time. - Yeah?
No operation.
This morning you fall and can't get up, that's your hips, Alvin.
And you'll need a walker now.
No walker.
Fine, a second cane, then.
You say you're having trouble seeing.
That could be a diabetes-related problem.
I'd like to run some tests.
No tests and no X-rays.
Well, I see and hear that you smoke.
My guess is you're in the early stages of emphysema.
And Alvin, you have circulation problems
and I'm worried about your diet.
If you don't make some changes quickly,
there will be some serious consequences.
It... has a... a red roof.
Another pretty one, Rose.
I want to... uh, paint the... uh, next one blue.
That's a good idea.
What... uh, did the doctor say?
He said I was gonna live to be 100.
I think I'll go and mow the lawn.
Uh, I can... uh, cut it for you, Dad.
I got it, sweetheart.
God darn!
No, we'll... we won't be mowin' today.
Storm's comin' in.
Yeah.
I love a lightnin' storm.
Uh, me too, Dad.
Hello?
This is... is Rose.
Yeah... Yeah... Uh-huh.
Oh, no...
When?
OK... right... right...
I'll tell him.
Yeah... OK... Bye.
Uh, that was... Bobby.
Uncle Lyle... had a...
...a stroke.
Dad?
No, Bobby, he... he didn't say much.
Uh, they've both...
uh, been so...
uh, stubborn.
No, no, it was longer, I remember.
It was... uh, July, uh, 7th, 19... 88, uh, Bobby.
I always... remember the dates.
Yeah.
I don't know... uh, what he'll do.
Rose, darlin'?
Rose?
I'm gonna go back on the road.
I've gotta go see Lyle.
But, Dad...
How are you...?
Well, I... haven't quite got that figured yet.
One, your eyes are bad.
That's why you don't... uh, drive your car.
Uh, two, Uncle Lyle... uh, lives in... uh, Wisconsin,
which is... uh, 317 miles away.
You would have to... uh, stay all night... in Des Moines.
Then there's no... uh, bus... to Zion.
Three, your... uh, hips are bad.
You can hardly... uh, stand...
for two minutes... And when you... uh, do stand up...
this... is the sound you make...
when you... stand.
Uh, four, uh, you are... uh, 73 years old...
You were... uh, born
when, uh, Calvin... uh, Coolidge was president... of America.
Uh, you are... uh, 73 years old, Dad.
And... I cannot drive you there.
Rose, darlin', I'm not dead yet.
Uh, what are we... uh, building, Dad?
Havin' a party?
Oh, jeez... I love... uh, parties.
Oh, me too.
And so... where's it at?
Where's what at?
Your... uh, party.
I'm not havin' a party.
I thought YOU were havin' a party.
I am?
Well, yeah. Look at all that Braunschweiger.
Oh, yeah, it's a lot of Braunschweiger.
It's... uh, for my dad, uh, for his... his trip.
Uh, my dad... he's going to... uh, Wisconsin.
I... asked him how he's... uh, going to get there...
Uh... but he... uh, won't say nothing.
Wisconsin? That is a real party state.
Yeah.
I... uh, hate... uh, Braun... uh... schweiger.
Yeah.
Alvin, you've got three five-gallon cans there.
15 gallons of gas.
What do you need so much gas for, Alvin?
Sig, you're one nosey son of a gun.
You got that right.
- I wanna buy that. - What?
The grabber.
Oh, jeez, Alvin.
- That's MY grabber, Alvin. - Well?
Oh, jeez, Alvin. I don't... I... I do have two of them...
I think five dollars is right.
That's a darn good grabber, Alvin.
- I... I... - Well?
They're hard to come by, Alvin.
It's gonna take me two months to get another one on order.
Jeez, Alvin, ten dollars.
Ring her up.
What do you need that grabber for, Alvin?
Grabbin'.
Oh, jeez, Dad.
Listen to that old grain elevator.
It's... uh, harvest time.
Uh, that... uh, trailer is too h-heavy for... for that.
It's a lawn mower. You're going to...
...drive a... a lawn mower to another state?
Rosie, I've... I've gotta go see Lyle.
And I... I've gotta make this trip on my own.
I know you understand.
I guess so.
Look up at the sky, Rosie.
The sky is sure full of stars tonight.
Crimenetto, it's Alvin and he's driving his lawn mower.
Alvin! What are you settin' out to do here?
For cry eye, Alvin!
Alvin, you're gonna get blown right off the road,
that's what I'm afraid!
He'll never make it past The Grotto.
I'm havin' a little engine trouble.
What the heck is that you're driving there?
It's a Rehds. Could you give me a lift into town?
Yeah, to The Grotto. This is the Sun Ray Tour. Get in.
- I'll get you help there. - I'd appreciate that.
My Edward loved his riding mower.
Hey, come here, hurry. Hurry up.
Poor Alvin.
So the man... in a... pick-up, he brought my dad back.
Ohh... mm, I must've been at the beauty shop.
What kinda pick-up?
A Ford.
But what's your dad doin' with that gun?
I don't know.
I gave you that old Rehds last time, right?
That you did.
- You tradin' in that Rehds now? - No, I don't believe I will.
Pete told me you used that rider in a real interestin' way.
- You still plannin' to do that? - Yeah, Tom.
I know not to talk you out of somethin' you set your mind to,
but Alvin, you've always struck me as smart.
Well, that's appreciated.
Until now.
What year?
'66.
Kohler engine. We've used it for parts
but I always replace them. The guts are good.
It's got the old transmission. Nothing fancy.
- Is it a good machine? - It's good.
Tom, I got $325.
That's a fact.
Sounds good to me, Alvin. Let's go settle up with Alice.
One more thing, sometime you can find out
about these old machines, if you know who run 'em.
- Do you know who owned it? - You bet... Me.
All right.
I couldn't get a ride.
Are you hungry?
Whaddaya got?
Weeners.
Weeners?
Weeners. Wanna try one?
Here's a good stick for you.
What a hunk of junk.
Eat your dinner, missy.
So... how long you been out on the road?
Well, I been travellin' most of my life.
Where you from?
Laurens.
Got a wife back there? Kids?
My wife, Francis delivered 14 babies. Seven of 'em made it.
My daughter, Rose lives with me.
Francis died in '81.
Where's your family?
Are you runnin' away?
How far along are ya?
Five months.
Well, I'm headin' to see my brother Lyle.
Huh?
I said I'm goin' to see my brother Lyle in Mount Zion.
- Where's that? - Wisconsin.
- Oh... - Just across the state line.
Cheddar Heads.
Aren't those the dumbest things
you ever seen somebody stick on their head?
I hear that's a real party place - Wisconsin.
Guess I'll never get to find out.
There's a blanket in the trailer.
Why don't you go get it?
My family hates me.
They'll really hate me when they find out.
You didn't tell 'em?
No. No one knows. Not even my boyfriend.
Well, they may be mad,
but I don't think they're mad enough to wanna lose you
or your little problem.
I don't know about that.
Well, of course, neither do I, but a warm bed and a roof
sounds a might better than eatin' a hot dog on a stick
with an old geezer that's travellin' on a lawn mower.
My daughter Rose is...
Some people call her a little bit slow but she's not.
She's got a mind like a bear trap for facts.
She keeps everything organised around the house.
She was a real good mom.
She had four kids.
One night, somebody else was watchin' the kids
and there was a fire.
Her second boy got burned real bad.
Rose had nothin' to do with it but, ah...
...on account of the way Rose is, the State figured
she wasn't competent to take care of them kids
and they took 'em all away from her.
There isn't a day goes by that she don't pine for them kids.
When my kids were real little, I used to play a game with 'em.
I'd give each one of 'em a stick and -
one for each one of 'em - then I'd say "you break that".
'Course they could, real easy.
Then I'd say "tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that".
'Course they couldn't. Then I'd say "that bundle...
...that's family."
Why don't you sleep in the trailer?
This chair's just fine for me tonight.
No, I'll be fine sleepin' out here.
Lookin' at the stars helps me think.
Well...
Thank you.
Woo!
What the...?
What the hell?
Hey, how're you doin'?
Doin' good.
Hey, Irene.
You don't think about gettin' old when you're young.
You shouldn't.
Must be something good about gettin' old.
Well, I can't imagine anything good about being blind and lame
at the same time, but... still
at my age, I've seen about all that life has to dish out.
I know to separate the wheat
from the chaff and let the small stuff fall away.
Let's go, man.
So, ah... what's the worst part about being old, Alvin?
The worst part of being old is rememberin' when you was young.