Movies similar to this one?

As already mentioned, David Lynch's "The Straight Story" has similarities to this one. I highly recommend it.

To add to the suggestions list, the movie that reminded me the most of this one is "Schultze Gets the Blues". In this movie, the main character, an accordion player from rural Germany, becomes entranced with a modern American polka tune he heard on the radio, and makes it his goal to journey to the US to find the source, the inspiration behind the music. His journey lacks the precise focus of "The world's fastest Indian," and whether or not he achieved success depends on the viewer's philosophical interpretation; however, like this movie, the main character travelled from a foreign culture to the US, and while travelling around the US, randomly interacted with characters that touched his life.

If it hasn't already been said: Big Fish.

There's some great film suggestions here. I would like to add my own suggestions as well. This film is perhaps a little more edgy then the other suggestions here, but watching it always makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside... it's the little british masterpiece "Kinky Boots" from 2005.


Remember to always be yourself... Unless you suck!

I thought 'Secondhand Lions' was so unexpectedly brilliant all though and meets your criteria for constant comedy

Ratatouille (Pixar, 2007) has given me a similar warm feeling.
It's a bit more silly, to be sure (I mean it's about a rat that loves cooking) but I'll bet you a ka-zillion bucks Burt would have loved it! ;)

cheers

I cannot think of any movies that are exactly like TWFI, but 2 films that have one of the two themes:

1. Into The Wild

Theme: Cross country adventure where the main character leaves home and meets a diverse group of interesting people.

2. Tucker

Theme: One man with deep passion for a labor of love, attempt to overcome great odds and a system stacked against them. A feel good movie about overcoming adversity and sticking to your principals.

The only difference with Tucker is that while his automotive innovations made a lasting legacy within the auto industry, his business was a failure. He built great cars for their time, with many safety features that were adopted by the big 3 in Detroit, but he never produced more than a small handful of cars, and went out of business.

Big Fish!