Where the Heart Is

I have to admit having a bias towards sci-fi, action adventure, mystery, conspiracy films, etc. I have sat through "Steel Magnolias" and "Fried Green Tomatoes" with my wife, and while I can admit they are well-made movies, I have never been too keen on movies with an all-female or predominantly female cast. I have also never cared much for Sally Fields' movies. (Perhaps I always think of her from the "Bandit" movies...) My first impression from all the trailers was that "Where the Heart Is" was nothing more than another "chick-flick" that I would, no doubt, find well-produced, but forgettable. I was wrong.

Natalie Portman registers a great performance as a meek and downtrodden pregnant teen who learns early in life that "our lives can change with every breath." Ashley Judd puts in an Oscar worthy performance in her supporting role as the older, married friend who has trouble finding the right man to be the father of her children. Stockard Channing plays the unforgettable "Sister Husband" who takes the young girl and her newborn child in, and Sally Fields makes a momentary appearance as the young girl's absentee mother, one of the highlights of the film. Fields has deepened my respect for her as an actress with her five minutes of film time like no other actor/actress ever has. Joan Cusack appears as a talent manager in the film's sub-plot and is phenomenal in her brief on-screen time as well. Yes, there are men in the film, veteran David Keith and James Frain among them, but for the most part, this film relies on the vision of the world through the eyes of its female leads. I loved this film- the comedy, the drama, the love story... I laughed, and although I hate to admit it, being a tough guy and all, I cried - several times - during this wonderful film about learning to be content with what we have and learning to appreciate how unique and special everyone and everything is.

This film was a pleasant surprise. I know nothing about the author or the book, but the story is "cute" and it's told in a nice way. I'm sure there are many episodes that are great in the book but during the adaptation got a little messy (Ex. the guy and the train, the tornado, etc.)... Those parts could have been shot with more accuracy and another tone. Anyway, the film goes on, IMO the performances are very good, specially those of Portman, Judd and Cusack; and the music is fine too. I would recommend it for people who are not interested in digging too deep into the characters, but watching a nice melodrama with some sweet humorist brushes.

For the first 1:15 or so, I was really enjoying this sweet and funny movie about a young girl (Novalee, played by Natalie Portman) dealing with being pregnant and unmarried, who is abandoned by her boyfriend (Dylan Bruno) and takes up residence (unknown to anyone) in a local Wal-Mart. After giving birth to the baby in the store, she is swindled and abandoned by her mother (Sally Field) but survives and flourishes thanks to the kindness of some rather eccentric strangers.

So far, so good. Very enjoyable. But the last 45 minutes or so really unravelled rather quickly. I questioned the need to continually bring us back to Willie Jack's (the baby's father) attempts to get a singing career going. None of his scenes really served to advance the plot in any way, and quite frankly, the guy was a loser who abandoned his pregnant girlfriend. I didn't care what happened to him - even though some of what happened was poetic justice - and the movie could have been shortened by 20 or 30 minutes - without losing a thing - if all his scenes had been simply cut. I also felt that it was totally unnecessary to include (albeit - thankfully - only for a few minutes) a theme about child molestation. Where did that come from and why? It made a relatively enjoyable movie very heavy, and it was a heaviness that - for me at least - never really disappeared. The end of the movie (revolving around the relationship between Novalee and Forney (James Frain) was also telegraphed quite early on.

Having made those criticisms, the real highlight of the movie for me was Natalie Portman as Novalee. I wasn't familiar with this young actress until now, but she was marvellously cast as the sweet, innocent, naive young Novalee, and then showed a wonderful capacity to show her character evolve into a mature and independent young woman. (I have to say that, while the movie seemed to be trying to say she was a great mother, she seemed to spend a lot of time away from little Americus, but that's a minor point.) Portman was excellent, and I will look forward to seeing her again.

This rates a 6/10. Would have been higher, except for the weak second half.

Natalie Portman is superb here. If there is anything that this actress is brilliant at, it's giving thankless characters a lot of emotional depth. This film is intelligent and well made, that is often moving. It isn't the best movie I have ever seen, but there are a lot of things that I really liked about this movie. There was some detailed direction, but it is the performances from the likes of Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, Joan Cusack and Sally Field, that take centre stage. The principal characters are well developed and meaningful, however I do have two complaints of this movie. One is that it is overlong, and sometimes drags with the subplots. Secondly, the uneven script disallows the more minor characters to fully develop as they should do. Still, it is a well performed and well intended film, that I will award a 8/10. Bethany Cox.

A young pregnant girl (Natalie Portman) gets left in a small Oklahoma town by her loser boyfriend (Dylan Bruno) on their way to California from Tennessee. Portman is literally stranded at the local Wal-Mart and then becomes a national celebrity when she gives birth late one night at the store. Local gardener Stockard Channing and her live-in lover (Richard Jones) take the youngster and her child in as Portman gets the opportunity to work for Wal-Mart. Immediately we are introduced to a whole host of vivid characters. There is nurse Ashley Judd who is rearing five young children of her own, department store photographer Keith David and shy librarian James Frain who is taking care of his alcoholic older sister (Margaret Ann Hoard). And we even get a short glimpse of Portman's trashy, money-hungry mother (an electrically-charged cameo for Sally Field). Time passes, and Portman experiences life, love, triumph, tragedy and everything in between as she makes the small Oklahoma town her own. Smart drama that never loses its way and stays interesting due to Portman's show-stopping performance. The rest of the cast is right on key as well as fellow "Heat" alum Judd does a deceptively deep and heartfelt job. The movie works due to a steady pace, strong direction and a totally under-appreciated script. 4 stars out of 5.