Where the Heart Is

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting human interest story
Review: This film is a bittersweet human-interest story with a side order of romance. The story has a country flavor, plenty of country music and a story that could serve as the film version of the typical lyrics of any country music CD. It is replete with bad decisions, bad luck and tragedies at every turn. It is sappy, corny, stereotypical, and unfortunately full of the types of things that really happen in rural America. Despite this seething despondency, it has an upbeat fatalism that suggests that at least for some of the people, the struggle against bad breaks and hard times pays off.

The story follows the life of Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman), poor young girl setting out to start a new life with her no account boyfriend. When Novalee makes a rest stop at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma, he ditches her, literally leaving her there barefoot and pregnant. Having only five dollars to her name, she takes up residence in the Wal-Mart and ultimately has the baby there. She becomes a minor celebrity and she is adopted by the Welcome Wagon lady. The remainder of the film examines the various relationships and experiences she has in this small town over the next seven or eight years.

The story is charming and steeped in sentiment. The character development of Novalee is excellent, although Director Matt Williams could have spent more time on some of the supporting characters, especially Sister Husband (Stockard Channing). To his credit, the film was nicely shot, and the tornado scene was fabulous.

Natalie Portman's performance was her best to date. She played the part with a near helpless determination that made her a very attractive and lovable character. Her southern accent was terrible, but her portrayal of the rural southern attitude was on target. Though the part didn't have a lot of range, she was extremely effective with the emotional element, and elicited great sympathy and admiration for her response to her desperate situation.

Stockard Channing was wonderful as the eccentric Welcome Wagon lady. I would have liked to see this part expanded, just to see more of Channing. She was enchantingly warm and peculiar. James Frain was also very good as Forney. He made the character very interesting and affable. He continues to be a solid supporting actor who has shown himself to be extremely versatile (Hilary and Jackie, Reindeer Games, Titus). Ashley Judd added another fine performance to her resume, with a free spirited portrayal of Lexie.

This was a nice story with an agreeable and upbeat ending. I rated it a 7/10. Add a point if you are a woman or if you have ever lived in a mobile home. It will find its most enthusiastic audience with women due to its extreme sentimentality, but it is not so "female" that it can't be enjoyed by men, making it a good date movie.

Rating:
Summary: Quality Acting Saves the Day
Review: From the onset, the most upsetting aspect of this movie is the promotion of Wal Mart. One can only wonder how much of the production cost was footed by Wal Mart. Commercialization of entertainment appears to be the wave of the future, and this reviewer objects to it vehemently. With that said, this is a great film. The actors are entirely convincing, and the attentive viewer quickly becomes engrossed in their (ficticious) emotions. This was the first Natalie Portman film I have seen, and she shines as the poor, down and out country girl who never gives up her dreams. Judd, Bruno, Channing, and Frain all excel in their supporting roles, as does Sally Field in a cameo as Portman's character's mother. Even the actors with minor roles are excellent - especially Joan Cusack as the curt Ruth Meyers, and Keith David as Moses Whitecotten, the compassionate photographer. The kind townspeople seem almost too good to be true. But this is a film about hope, and teaches that it is important to never give up on your dreams, and it conveys that message well. As a male, I am both proud and embarrassed to admit that this is one of very few films that got me teary-eyed in more than one scene. That is how dramatic and powerful this film is.

Rating:
Summary: Where The Heart Is
Review: 20th Century Fox's "Where The Heart Is" Released in 2000, Directed by Matt Williams, is a stereotypical drama with a predictable theme and a standard 'Chick-Flick' plot. The dramatic theme of this movie is one of improving one's self, no matter what your beginnings or how hard life challenges you. The main character, Nova Lee Nation (portrayed by Natalie Portman), exemplifies this triumphant spirit by starting the movie as a young pregnant trailer queen moving with her boyfriend to California. She is then pushed to her lowest point when she is abandoned at a Wal-Mart in Sequoia, Oklahoma. In an odd twist it is at this Wal-Mart that she is introduced to Sister Husband (Stockard Channing) who is later an important figure in her life.
With no place to live, Nova Lee lives in the local Wal-Mart where she eventually has her child. This event gives her her 15 minutes of fame as the mother of "The Wal-Mart Baby". While recovering in the hospital she meets her new best friend (played by Ashley Judd). When released from the hospital, she finds herself, again, without a place to stay. This is when Sister Husband really comes to the rescue.
Sister Husband takes in Nova Lee and her new child named Americus. Things seem to be going well for everyone until a tornado hits the small Oklahoma town. Sister Husband is killed in the tornado and it would again seem as though Nova Lee is stranded. We soon find out, though, that Sister has left everything to Nova Lee in her will. With what Sister Husband left her, Nova Lee is able to build herself a "Home Without Wheels" as Nova Lee calls it.
Before long, Nova Lee decides that she is capable of much more than a Wal-Mart cashier. She begins a photography career and is astonishingly good at it. Even with her new found fortune and success, Nova Lee feels herself unworthy of the town librarian, the man she loves. Because she feels insecure, she sends away the man of her dreams. Predictably, though, she is brought to her senses by her best friends word's and rushes cross-country to reclaim her beau.
I give this move 3 out of 5 stars. The plot is quite predictable, and none of the intended twists are truly surprising. The acting in this
movie is done well and there is enough humor and irony to keep a person interested, though.

Rating:
Summary: I am very surprised.
Review: This movie is one of those films that you pick up from the store when there is nothing else to rent ... and you are glad you did.

While the plot sounds really contrived, the actors and actresses in this film make it almost believable. And, it is one of the most heartwarming, feel good movies I have seen in quite some time.

Natalie Portman is excellent as Novalee Nation, the girl who has the Walmart baby. While you know what is going to happen, the actions leading up to the moment are a gem. Keeping a very exacting record of what she owes the Walmart adds to the situation, making you like Novalee even more.

Of course, this is a film about the downtrodden. Novalee is in her situation due to her no good boyfriend dumping her on his way to a Country Music career. The rest of the characters in the film share in this misery. From Forney Hall, a brilliant dreamer stuck in a library to Sister Husband (Stockhard Channing), who fornicates a lot, and finally Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd), who has too many children by bad men, the humanity of the "lower rungs" of society shines through.

Contrasted to the majority of films that highlight lower income families, displaying them as criminal victims, this film is refreshing in its humanity.

The only weak point is the love story that between Novalee and Forney. Throughout most of the movie it is not much more than a convenient plot device. At some times, it is downright distracting. However, in the end, it show the difference between Novalee and her ex-boyfriend.

If you would like to see a film that will make you feel good about America, this is it. At times it is a bit Pollyannic, but it is a bit more believable.

Rating:
Summary: Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman, excellent!
Review: I loved this movie! This movie tells the story or a teenage Novalle Nation (Natalie Portman) who is pregnant. When her boyfriend takes her to Wal-Mart to use the bathroom and get some kind of shoes, she comes back and he is gone! She's got no money, friends, or family. She has nowhere to go. Only thing she has is a tree. Her unlucky number is 5. One night, while living in the Wal-Mart, she has her baby. After gaining 15 minutes of fame for giving birth to the "walmart baby," she begins to put her life back together with the help of a kind, quirky strangers who become her surrogate family. Based on the #1 best-selling novel by Bille Letts, this movie is Brilliantly funny, deeply moving, beautifully acted. Buy it! You wont regret it!

Rating:
Summary: Where the Good Movie Is....Here.
Review: Dont get this confused with another movie of the same title released in the early 90s', although it was in slightly the same catagory 2000's 'Where the Heart Is' stands alone. Who could've seen a movie like this coming?...well obviously the few powerhouse actors/actresses who gave small parts in this unique story. Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing take center stage among fresh faces like Dylan Bruno (Willie Jack Pickins) and James Frain (Forney Hull)..who took substantial co-staring roles. Without getting too in-depth about the film, the movie centers around two stories that seem to merge in meaning towards the end. On one stage, shy and sweet Novalee Nation (Portman) is a teenager who finds herself pregnant by a country-bumpkin troublemaker (Dylan Bruno) and left abandoned and alone to fend for herself before having the baby (an interesting twist giving her secret lodgings in a rural Wal-Mart where she works.) She is taken in by a religious and thoughtful middle-aged couple (Stockard Channing as 'Sister Husband'), and raises her baby girl while pursuing a love of photography. Now, on the other stage..Dylan Bruno is an aspiring country music singer with guitar-in-hand. Dirty and broke, he wanders into a small-time record producing company and is taken under the wing of producer Ruth Meyers (Call her Ruth Meyers)..a small part beautifully done by my favorite actress the lovely Joan Cusack. Bruno releases one song 'The Beat of a Heart', and falls harder to rock bottom than a heroin addict. The movie does a fantastic job of moving through 5 years in a few hours..with an upbeat and enlightening story, a dedicated cast and even a great country/contemporary soundtrack. 'Where the Heart Is' isn't a blind title, you'll see why it was used when the two stories of these heart-warming characters who've suffered losses and hard times, lost friends and found love collide (Well, not collide. This isn't an action movie.) I was raised among movies like 'Terminator', 'Predator', 'Bloodsport' and 'One Crazy Summer'...Joan Cusack as a cast member is what brought me to watch this romantic comedy, and if I can say that this is one of the best movies Ive ever seen, I think it should most definately work for a more devoted fan to romantic comedies. For Ashley Judd fans..yes, this is a big part for her. A little bit of something for everyone looking for laughs, happy endings and maybe a few tears. 'Where the Heart Is' is a perfect summer evening flick, by far one of the most well done movies of the genre I've seen yet. A sure sale for fans of 'Someone Like You' (Ashley Judd, Greg Kinear) and 'You've Got Mail' (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan).

Rating:
Summary: If you have a heart, what's not to like with this movie?
Review: I watched this movie last night having not even heard of it before. Did this one go straight to the video shelves and, if so, WHY? This is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie! It has an engaging heroine (beautifully portrayed by Natalie Portman!), a magnificent supporting cast (all superb actors doing great work, including a surprise from Sally Field!), a powerful plot with a lot of exciting and emotional scenes throughout which move the story along at a excellent pace, a fine script with believable dialogue and characters, and a truly glorious finale. Cynics will scoff at this film, but for the rest of us poor mortals this little gem of a movie portrays people as they are, believably entertaining us in the process, and giving us a wise and compassionate view of our human condition. By all means experience this fine motion picture! Forget the negative reviews and those who watch it with preconceived notions of the actors involved. Sensitively directed and written, this one will really show you, as the title says, "where the heart is."

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Happen
Review: I work the graveyard shift at Walmart and no one could ever get away with living there at night. There are people working there twenty-four hours a day and the lights never get turned off as shown in the movie. Glad to see the store in a movie, though. :)

Rating:
Summary: Where The Heart Is
Review: 20th Century Fox's "Where The Heart Is" Released in 2000, Directed by Matt Williams, is a stereotypical drama with a predictable theme and a standard 'Chick-Flick' plot. The dramatic theme of this movie is one of improving one's self, no matter what your beginnings or how hard life challenges you. The main character, Nova Lee Nation (portrayed by Natalie Portman), exemplifies this triumphant spirit by starting the movie as a young pregnant trailer queen moving with her boyfriend to California. She is then pushed to her lowest point when she is abandoned at a Wal-Mart in Sequoia, Oklahoma. In an odd twist it is at this Wal-Mart that she is introduced to Sister Husband (Stockard Channing) who is later an important figure in her life.
With no place to live, Nova Lee lives in the local Wal-Mart where she eventually has her child. This event gives her her 15 minutes of fame as the mother of "The Wal-Mart Baby". While recovering in the hospital she meets her new best friend (played by Ashley Judd). When released from the hospital, she finds herself, again, without a place to stay. This is when Sister Husband really comes to the rescue.
Sister Husband takes in Nova Lee and her new child named Americus. Things seem to be going well for everyone until a tornado hits the small Oklahoma town. Sister Husband is killed in the tornado and it would again seem as though Nova Lee is stranded. We soon find out, though, that Sister has left everything to Nova Lee in her will. With what Sister Husband left her, Nova Lee is able to build herself a "Home Without Wheels" as Nova Lee calls it.
Before long, Nova Lee decides that she is capable of much more than a Wal-Mart cashier. She begins a photography career and is astonishingly good at it. Even with her new found fortune and success, Nova Lee feels herself unworthy of the town librarian, the man she loves. Because she feels insecure, she sends away the man of her dreams. Predictably, though, she is brought to her senses by her best friends word's and rushes cross-country to reclaim her beau.
I give this move 3 out of 5 stars. The plot is quite predictable, and none of the intended twists are truly surprising. The acting in this
movie is done well and there is enough humor and irony to keep a person interested, though.

Rating:
Summary: Natalie is really cute!
Review: OK, let's face it. The only reasons a guy would like to watch this movie are:
A) Natalie Portman;
B) Ashley Judd;
C) Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd.
In my case, it is mostly Natalie. The story is very sweet, but also completely forgettable. Who cares? When you watch Natalie's huge brown eyes, it doesn't matter. I totally recommend this one.