Where the Heart Is (2000)
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 97
Fresh: 34 | Rotten: 63
Poor script and messy plot undermines the decent cast.
Average Rating: 3.7/10
Critic Reviews: 30
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 25
Poor script and messy plot undermines the decent cast.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 63,039
Movie Info
Pregnant 17-year-old Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) runs away from her Tennessee home toward the bright lights of California, accompanied by her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno). But Willy gets cold feet and abandons her at a Walmart in Sequoyah, OK. Novalee's life savings amount to $5.55, so she moves into the Walmart, sleeping there at night and venturing out during the day. With the help of the eccentric Sister Husband (Stockard Channing), and Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd), a nurses'
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Cast
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Natalie Portman
Novalee Nation -
Ashley Judd
Lexie Coop -
Stockard Channing
Sister Husband -
Joan Cusack
Ruth Meyers -
James Frain
Forney Hall -
Dylan Bruno
Willy Jack Pickens -
Keith David
Moses Whitecotten -
Sally Field
Mama Nell -
Richard Jones
Mr. Sprock -
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All Critics (109) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (63) | DVD (12)
Not possessing much in the way of a character arc, saints are boring to watch and impossible to act.
Top CriticThe scenes feel forced, producing episodic plotting and calling attention to the characters' superficiality.
Banal and trite where it could have been insightful and emotionally truthful.
The movie isn't all that much -- it's too cloyingly ramshackle -- but Portman isn't playing down to her character this time around.
Has enough humor and polish to gull you into enjoying its jest-folks fakery. But you may hate yourself in the morning.
A chick flick that's as yummy as eating bon-bons.
... a great big ol' commercial for the Wal-Mart
The script, based on a novel by Billie Lett, is sprinkled with phrases meant to be poignant and funny, but sound like repackaged cliches.
...enjoyable enough.
This is as irritating as chick flicks come and it's a real disappointment since Portman's talents are totally wasted.
Unfortunately, the spirited performances (notably Stockard Channing as the benevolent Sister Husband) buckle under the weight of the implausibly overloaded script.
Terrific, grounded performances by Natalie Portman as Novalee and Ms. Judd as Lexie are the saving graces of the movie.
A rambling but rich examination of both the human spirit and the oft-undiscussed need for a greater community that each of us can plug into.
Where the heart is trató de abarcar mucho y dar un mensaje demasiado moralista. Pero indudablemente Natalie brilla.
The film appears to be one big advertisement for the giant department store Wal-Mart and its trailer park clientele.
Reveals what complex blunderers we all are. Luckily, we are often blessed with friends who help us pick up the pieces.
Love, loss, and family. Bring tissues.
So much plot is crammed in, it's like a feature-length soap.
Deceptively hidden beneath the jokes and the novel premise is a surprisingly convincing view of modern community.
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel apparently couldn't resist dressing the movie up like a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake with lots of precious, cutesy comic touches.
In taking cheap shots at those of us who don't live in Manhattan, Williams and company undermine the real strengths of their movie.
The movie is sweet-natured enough, but when its litany of tragedies demands a tougher tone, the script ... fails to deliver the much-needed veracity.
Audience Reviews for Where the Heart Is
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Lexie Coop: Brownie! Brownie! Do not lasso your sister!
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Movie: ID: 10413 Title: Where the Heart Is Release Date: 2000-04-28 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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