The Straight Story
Recommended. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Alvin is an old man who cannot drive a car. When his brother has a stroke, he rides a slow lawn tractor hundreds of miles to see him and make peace. He meets kind strangers along the way. It is a gentle, quiet film about humility, forgiveness and family, with smoking and talk of past drinking but no bad language to speak of. The one age is 13, set by Common Sense Media; the Church rates it A-I and the MPAA G.
For parents
One age: 13, set by Common Sense Media. The Catholic classification is A-I (all ages, per formationreimagined.org's USCCB listing) and the MPAA rating is G. Common Sense notes that most characters smoke and that Alvin's past alcohol abuse is mentioned; there is no swearing to speak of. Kids-In-Mind scores sex 0, violence 2 and language 2 of 10: a car hits a deer, a man shoots his broken mower, and two old soldiers quietly share war memories. Wikipedia notes Alvin, a recovering alcoholic, drinks one beer near the end, and that a pregnant runaway he meets is afraid of her family. Talk about it: Why did Alvin need to go himself, so slowly? What does he say to the priest? Is there someone you need to make peace with before it is too late?