Where the Heart Is is a 2000 American romantic drama film directed by Matt Williams in his film directing debut. The film stars Natalie Portman, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, and Joan Cusack with supporting roles performed by James Frain, Dylan Bruno, Keith David, and Sally Field. The screenplay, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is based on the best-selling novel by Billie Letts. The film follows five years in the life of Novalee Nation, a pregnant 17-year-old, who is abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart in a small Oklahoma town. She secretly moves into the store, where she eventually gives birth to her baby, which attracts media attention. With the help of friends, she makes a new life for herself in the town.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Plot
Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) is seventeen years old and seven months pregnant. She sets off on a road trip from Tennessee to California with her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno) in an old, broken down 1963 Plymouth. When driving through Sequoyah, Oklahoma, Novalee asks Willy Jack to stop at the local Walmart so that she can go to the restroom and buy new shoes. Willy Jack drives off leaving behind her and her new Polaroid camera. Having no other place to go she walks back inside and meets Thelma "Sister" Husband (Stockard Channing). After Sister presents her with a buckeye tree, Novalee also meets Moses Whitecotton (Keith David), a local photographer who advises her to give her baby a strong name. A sickly Novalee is forced to live in the Walmart, undetected. Meanwhile Willy Jack is charged with fraternizing with a minor, and stealing from a convenience store. During his tenure in prison he composes a country song, "Beat of the Heart."
Novalee soon meets Forney Hull (James Frain), the surly librarian who looks after his alcoholic sister Mary Elizabeth (Margaret Hoard). During a thunderstorm Novalee, alone at Walmart, goes into labor. Forney, who is now in awe of Novalee, and had seen her enter the store at closing time, smashes through the window to help deliver her child. Novalee instantly becomes a media darling, and in hospital is befriended by Nurse Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd), who has four children by three different men. Novalee names her daughter Americus. Her estranged mother Mama Lil (Sally Field), visits after hearing of the news on television but Novalee soon realises to her dismay and disgust that money had been Mama Lil's only motive. Sister Husband arrives and offers to take in Novalee and Americus.
Three years later, Novalee begins a career as a photographer with the help of Moses. When a tornado blows through Sequoyah, Sister Husband is killed. In memory of Sister, Novalee shoots a picture of Americus and the still-standing buckeye tree amidst the damage from the storm. After the funeral, Novalee finds out that she is the beneficiary of Sister's estate, totaling around $40,000. Novalee builds a new home for herself and Americus on Sister's land.
Upon being released from prison and making it to Nashville, Willy Jack becomes a one-hit-wonder after a slow start with the song he wrote in jail. He teams with the grizzled and cranky music agent, Ruth Meyers (Joan Cusack), who gives him a makeover and the stage name "Billy Shadow." At the same time, Novalee is also in Las Vegas to accept an award in a photo contest she has won. Novalee and Willy Jack just miss meeting each other. Ruth Meyers, who has gotten in his hotel room, informs Willy Jack that his old cellmate, Tommy Reynolds, is suing him claiming he is the true writer of Beat of a Heart, now a major radio hit, and terminates her connections with Willy Jack. Novalee returns to Sequoyah after the awards event without realizing how close she came to seeing Willy Jack.
One day, Novalee receives a call from Brownie, Lexie's oldest child. She rushes over to find Lexie bruised and battered and learns that Lexie's new love interest started to molest her two eldest children and nearly beat her to death as she attempted to protect them. Lexie's injuries hinder her nursing job and she and her children have to move in with Novalee and Americus. Lexie breaks down feeling guilty and angry. She tearfully tells Novalee that she ignored her kid's dislike for her boyfriend.
Mary Elizabeth later passes away and when Forney does not appear at the funeral, Novalee finds him in a hotel and comforts him. They act on their feelings they have denied for so long and spend the night together. Forney confesses his love for her. Novalee confides in Lexie that she has never considered good enough for Forney and is confused about her own feelings for.
Novalee learns that Lexie is seeing someone new. Lexie is embarrassed to admit "Ernie" is an exterminator and does not have quite the physical attributes that have in the past attracted her interest. Lexie eventually falls in love with Ernie (Bob Coonrod) after learning he gave his ex-wife his restored 1967 Chevy Camaro in exchange for custody of his step-daughter whom he adopted as his own. They get married, and Lexie tells Novalee that she's pregnant.
After Forney returns from his sister's burial on the east coast, Novalee feels deeply that she is not good enough for him, knowing he has a chance of going back to school. Knowing his life would be a dead end staying with her in Sequoyah, she struggles through lying to him saying she does not love him. Heartbroken and rejected by Novalee, Forney returns to school in Maine.
Severely depressed at his ruined career following the lawsuit, Willy Jack becomes an alcoholic and starts popping pills while driving with a woman across country. He wanders off drunk and collapses on a railroad track where he is unable to move as a train approaches. On Americus's 5th birthday, Novalee picks up a newspaper and sees an article about Willy Jack having lost his legs some months before and recently being robbed of his wheelchair. Novalee visits Willy Jack in the hospital and he confesses his whole life would've been different if he hadn't left her. Novalee, realizing he is now a pathetically changed man, is able to finally forgive and let go of Willy Jack.
Novalee realizes that her lies are similar mistakes with Forney. She drives Willy Jack home to Tennessee and then continues to Maine to find Forney at a college. Novalee tells him she really does love him and they return to Oklahoma and marry. The final scene is of their wedding, which takes place in a Walmart.
Home Is Where The Heart Is Quote Video
Cast
- Natalie Portman as Novalee Nation
- Ashley Judd as Lexie Coop
- Stockard Channing as Thelma "Sister" Husband
- Joan Cusack as Ruth Meyers
- James Frain as Forney Hull
- Dylan Bruno as Willy Jack Pickens
- Keith David as Moses Whitecotton
- Richard Andrew Jones as Mr. Sprock
- Sally Field as Mama Lil
- Angee Hughes as Religious woman
- Margaret Hoard as Mary Elizabeth Hull
- Mackenzie Fitzgerald as Americus Nation
- David Alvarado as Tommy Reynolds
- Richard Nance as Johnny DeSotto
- Bob Coonrod as Ernie
- Cody Linley as Brownie Coop
- Adrian Garza as Young Brownie (uncredited)
Differences between novel and film
- Novalee finds the number 5 unlucky in the movie, and the number 7 unlucky in the novel.
- Sister Husband has brown hair in the movie, and blue hair in the novel.
- In the novel, Lexie marries Leon Yoder.
- In the film, Forney returns to school. In the novel, Forney instead travels for some time before settling in Chicago.
- Novalee's marriage to Forney only occurs in the film.
- In the novel, Lexie is obese. She is constantly trying new fad diets and weight loss schemes. This aspect of her character is removed from the film version.
- In the novel, Benny Goodluck gives Novalee a buckeye tree for good luck. In the film, the buckeye tree was given to Novalee by Sister Husband.
- In the novel, Moses has a wife named Certain whom Novalee also becomes close with. She is entirely omitted from the film, as is Benny Goodluck.
Music
Original music for the film was produced by Mason Daring. A soundtrack of the original music was released by RCA Records, as well as a music compilation soundtrack featuring songs used in the film by artists such as Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Martina McBride, and John Hiatt.
The song "That's the Beat of a Heart" was performed by The Warren Brothers and Sara Evans. A music video was made for the song, which is included as a bonus extra on the DVD release, and features a number of scenes from the film.
Reception
Critical response
The film received mostly negative reviews. Metacritic gives it a score of 30% based on reviews from 28 critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 35% approval rating, based on reviews from 97 critics, with the sites consensus stating that the film's "poor script and messy plot undermines the decent cast."
Box office
The film opened in theaters in the United States on April 28, 2000. Where the Heart Is accumulated (USD)$8,292,939 in its opening weekend, opening at number 4.
The film went on to make $33,772,838 at the North American box office, and an additional $7,090,880 internationally for a worldwide total of $40,863,718.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon