Straight Story
Straight's journey, like others', allows him to realize past mistakes but I disagree that he "is not so different from some of the characters we've seen in other films." Alvin Straight's journey to "becoming" is defined by the fact that viewers know that he has a home to return to and a home which he plans to return to. In films like Vagabond, Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise, the audience may or may not know whether a home exists but can almost be certain that the characters have no intention of returning. I think that this is what sets apart road films like Straight Story and Little Miss Sunshine. Viewers know that these stories will end at home therefore the players are "becoming" as opposed to "leaving behind." Straight has obligations to his daughter (especially since he was not always the ideal father), friends and because of his age, does not have the freedom to travel as he pleases. Films like Vagabond, Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise feature young people, able to go where they want and free from responsibility to others.
I do agree that Straight's road is quite different from movies we have viewed in the past. His is rural road suits him as he is elderly and slow moving himself. The people he encounters on the road are friendly country dwellers. They are trusting and more than happy to open their homes to him. Also, Straight's vehicle is at home on the rural roads. Unlike Thelma and Louise's T-Bird, Straight's lawnmower could not handle the speed of the highway, other than the waning health of his brother, there is nothing to hurry his journey; his life is not in danger; he isn't on the run. The rural roads serve his purpose to get from point A to point B, not to provide an escape. After the murder in the parking lot, Thelma needed time to think about their next move. While on the highway, she was uneasy as the pace her thoughts seemed to have to keep in time with the pace of her vehicle on the highway. Louise had to get off of the highway in order to think clearly... get a cup of coffee or stay in a hotel. In Straight Story, Alvin's thought process and lawnmower seem to move at the same tempo. Unlike Louise who is distracted by the hurriedness of her road, Alvin can do all of his thinking as he travels down his.