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Where the Heart Is (2000)
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Reviews Counted:94
Fresh:33
Rotten:61
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Poor script and messy plot undermines the decent cast.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis:
A bathroom stop en route, at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart, changes Novalee's life forever. For when she leaves the store, she discovers that Willy Jack and the Plymouth are gone. Only her Polaroid camera...
A bathroom stop en route, at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart, changes Novalee's life forever. For when she leaves the store, she discovers that Willy Jack and the Plymouth are gone. Only her Polaroid camera remains in the parking space.
Alone and broke, Novalee surreptitiously moves into the vast store, borrowing food and supplies from its shelves. When she gives birth on the floor - and her hideaway is revealed - Novalee and her "Wal-Mart Baby" become instant celebrities. More importantly, over the next few years, Novalee finally becomes part of an unconventional, makeshift family comprised of her wonderfully eccentric new friends.
Now, with the family she always wanted, Novalee is transformed from a homeless teen to a successful and strong woman. She has finally found a home in this small town where fate has dropped her. -- © 20th Century Fox
Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, Joan Cusack
Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, Joan Cusack, Sally Field, James Frain, Dylan Bruno, Keith David, Mackenzie Fitzgerald
Director: Matt Williams
Director: Matt Williams
Screenwriter: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Producer: Patricia Whitcher, Matt Williams, Susan Cartsonis, David McFadzean
Composer: Mason Daring
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Reviews for Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is celebrates motherhood as vocation, inspiration, and destination.
[Portman] shows just how comfortable she can be carrying a major motion picture.
Full of poorly written Hollywood tripe, a coming-of-age story in which yeah, the main character gets older, but she doesn't learn anything.
This is a superficial film, a condensation of an entire season of a TV sitcom.
In the hands of TV director Matt Williams ... it's a choppy mess that belongs on the street corner Monday morning.
So sugary sweet and packed with magic-realistic miracles it plays like an Oprah Winfrey-produced miniseries on crack.
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.
If we could just strip away the plot, Where the Heart Is would be a delightful film. As it is, wait for video.
The filmmakers have crafted a motion picture that should appeal to members of both sexes.
Were it not for the presence of Portman and Judd, 'Heart' could easily have turned into a pilot for a lame TV series. Call it 'Wal-Mart Mama.'
Watching Where the Heart Is, in fact, is a little like listening to the town gossip run her mouth about everyone she knows.
Latest News for Where the Heart Is
March 31, 2005:
Jason Patric Proves Himself a "Walker"
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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