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Pretty Dope

I gave this movie an eight out of ten, solely for Natalie Portman. The woman is radiant. The woman is beautiful, and I'm inclined to believe the only reason she's not gracing the cover of People's 50 Most Beautiful right now is because she's too humble to even appear in it (Either that, or they're blind over there). But even without her totally ethereal presence, this movie is completely hers to own, and she does not disappoint. She makes you feel her character deep down inside of you. She leaps off the screen; she's more than convincing, she's totally breathtaking. Admittedly, I obviously have a huge crush on her. But her talent is undeniable, because this is otherwise a pretty mediocre hybrid of Fried Green Tomatoes and Pregnant at Seventeen. Well, the acting is fine, but it gets corny at times and has some certainly very predictable parts, but Portman makes you forget all that. See it just to watch today's most incredible actress grow.

ups and downs...

First of, I must admit I'm a huge Natalie Portman fan. I thought her portrayal of Mathilda in Leon was AMAZING... - Ann August in Anywhere But Here was great too... and well, Novalee Nation is one of those characters.The story is about this young woman who was pregnant when her 'musician wannabe' boyfriend leaves her at Wal-Mart. After that, she meets a bunch of people who will change her life - it's almost the typical story where everything goes wrong, then everything turns ok and again, and again. People growing up, people starting to know themselves, etc, etc.If you wanna see Natalie Portman on her very first 'mature woman' role, this is the movie for you. Moreover, you wouldn't wanna miss an excellent performance by Ashley Judd.

A wonderful movie with a Gump flavor!

Where the Heart Is, is a very wonderful movie that allows the viewer to just sit back and enjoy. As you watch Novalee Nation (Natallie Portman) transform from a vulnerable down on her luck and knocked up teenager to an elegant and wise young woman, you can't help get sucked into the story. You laugh at her obsessive hate for the number "5" yet are amazed at the way bad things always happen involving fives. You feel bad for Lizy (Ashley Judd) and her awful bad luck with men, not to mention her children who have snack foods as namesakes. Yet you think of someone you know who always seems to attract the worst of the other sex.And you feel relieved (and yet sad) when you see the failed life of Novalee's boyfriend who dumped her at Wal-Mart.The only negatives are that the movie gets a bit slow in certain places and gets "preachy" at times.If you have ever been pregnant or lived with a pregnant woman, you will really be able to relate to a lot of the humor in this movie. And if you have children, you will feel the full emotional impact of this filmI highly recommend this movie for almost everyone. And guys, it's not a chick flick!

Will not ask...

I read the book before i saw the movie, but even if i didn't read the book first, i still woulda hated the movie. Talk about being way to sweet..feels like i just bit into a really big sweet bar. The movie was boring, the only reason i watched it cuz my friends made me..never ever EVER will i watch the movie or read the book again...as i've said, i will NOT ask...

Wonderful

I only wish that the director had done a better job, the acting, from littlerally the entire cast was just amazing! It was well worth the $3.00 i soent to rent it. However, if you are reading this and the price here on amazin is still $106.00, please save yourself at least a hundred by renting it! I found this movie was either "you love it or you hate it" , so don't lose any big amount of money. But i would recomend renting it!

Love will find you where you least expect it

This is my 2nd favorite movie of all time (after "While You Were Sleeping"). It's really heartwarming and gives lots of warm fuzzies.
The comedy is great -- Joan Cusack's performance is not to be missed! James Frain & Natalie Portman do an excellent job of portraying one-true-loves.

Where the Heart Is.....Heartwarming

After having read the book, I was somewhat apprehensive but curious about seeing the movie "Where the Heart Is". The story is substantial and I wondered how it would fit into a reasonable length film. All I can say is well-done, highly enjoyable. It's a very real story about regular people, presented with just the right combination of action, humour and emotion. It's a story of naiivete and hope. The acting was superb....Stockard Channing was at her best. Sally Field proved that an older actress can still be a "hot babe". Natalie Portman was wonderful and believable as were the male leads. If you like movies containing violence, car chases and bloodshed, I do not recommend this. If you prefer a good heart warming story this is the show for you.

A Wonderful Story Of Friendship & Love

Where The Heart Is has to be one of the sweetest films of all time it's a nice gem I bought a copy on DVD a few months ago and enjoyed it a lot. Natalie Portman's performance as a teen mother turned strong successful woman was brilliant and incredible. Supporting cast Stockard Channing , Ashley Judd, James Frain,and Joan Cusack also delivered top notch performances in this tale of friendship and love.At 17 years old Novalee Nation, (Portman)is pregnant she has never been part of a real home the closest thing to a family she's had is Willy Jack Pickens (Bruno)her selfish musician wannabe boyfriend. They're about to leave for a new life in California, however a bathroom stop at a Walmart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma proves to be fate when after emerging from the bathroom Novalee discovers that Willy Jack drove off and abandoned her leaving only her belongings in the parking lot. With only $5.55 in her pocket she moves into the walmart borrowing, food and clothes from the shelves until one night she goes into labor and her daughter arrives, that's when her hideout is discovered. After Americus (Fitzgerald is born Novalee begins to put her life back together with the help of her surrogate family and friends Thelma Sister Husband (Channing) a religious yet promiscuous woman, Lexie Coop (Judd)a nurse with four kids and Forney Hull(Frain) a kind librarian whose devoted to his ill sister.Meanwhile Willy Jack has just gotten out of prison and seeks the help of Ruth Meyers(Cusack) a music manager to help him start his career. Over the next five years Novalee transforms into a strong and brave young woman who becomes a successful photographer, overtime Forney has fallen in love with her and she denies those feelings. after Willy Jack has an accident she goes to confront him about why he left and he admits he lied about not feeling his daughter's heartbeat. After hearing this Novalee sets out to tell Forney that she loves him, they end up getting married in the walmart in front of all their friends.Where The Heart Is is a magnificent and heartwarming tale that shows us that friends are there for you to count on when you're in trouble.

Pace and style drag movie and its case down

There are movies you really want to like but can't. This is especially true of movies that are gentle and well intentioned but not well made. Where the Heart Is falls into this group, although it should appeal to some viewers who are less worldly and more forgiving than myself.

The movie opens in the boondocks of Tennessee. A very pregnant Novalee Nation [Natalie Portman] and her redneck boyfriend, Willy Jack [Dylan Bruno] are about to take off to California in a beat up old car. Why is it that such characters in the movies invariably head for the Golden State? Is it some kind of rule of script writing? In Oklahoma, Willy lets Novalee go into a Walmart to buy some shoes and promptly leaves her there for reasons that go mainly unexplained. Broke, tired and hungry, she literally lives in the store for six weeks. During the hours it is open, she wanders around town meeting various eccentric characters. One is Thelma [Stockard Channing], a recovering alcoholic who runs the local welcome wagon. She becomes a mother figure to Novalee. Another is Forney Hall [James Frain], who is the assistant librarian. His sister is the head librarian but is always too drunk to work. One rainy night Novalee goes into labor in the locked up Walmart. Forney, who's been following her, jumps through a window and rescues her. In the hospital she meets Lexie {Ashley Judd], who seems to be the head nurse. Since Lexie has had five children by five different fathers, it would seem that her training did not include birth control. Novalee goes to live with Lexie, and soon she and her new friends are having enough trials and tribulations to bring down an entire herd of elephants.

The problem is the script, which leaves the talented cast to perform as best they can. The story borders on being incoherent, with many scenes being simply skits or vignettes poorly strung together. There are too many stops and starts. As a result, it is hard to get close to these people, no matter how much trouble they are going though. What is exceptionally irritaiting is that the movie's style makes the characters almost dull when they could have been interesting.

Where the Heart Is based on a novel by Billie Lotts. I'm not familiar with it, Since it was one of Oprah's Book Club's selections, I assume a lot of people are. Only these readers can know how faithful the movie is to the book.

Strangely compelling.

As "white-trash-girl-makes-good" stories go, "Where The Heart Is" can't hold a candle to "Ruby In Paradise," Victor Nunez's early-1990s film, which oddly enough starred the utterly luminous Ashley Judd in her first movie role, playing opposite "In The Bedroom" director Todd Field as her eccentric boyfriend. That film got all the anger, determination, self-sufficiency and pride of a true up-from-the-bootstraps heroine just right, without any sentimentality or the overuse of gushy country songs. However, that said, WTHI is the best thing Natalie Portman has done so far, it showcases Judd in all her mature, ripe-to-busting sardonic glory, and is the only movie in which James Frain is actually sort of softly sexy and not icky (unlike his roles in "Elizabeth" and "An Awfully Big Adventure," not to mention scads of other Brit indies -- you do know he's English, don't you?). And of course, it features yet another intelligently self-aware supporting turn by the vastly underrated Stockard Channing. I guess this film is definitely worth seeing, all things considered.

Sugary sweet outside, slightly bitter on the inside

As someone who cringes at films hailed as "Heartwarming!", I initially shied away from this picture, but on a particularly bad day, I needed some cheering up so I rented it, and was pleasantly surprised that my mood changed. However, when I started to think about this film a little more in depth, I realized it isn't just a lighthearted piece of fluff about the misadventures of an uneducated, naive girl who happens upon some damn good luck in her life. "Where the Heart Is" attempts to tackle some very serious issues, such as teen pregnancy, absent fathers, mental illness, and child abuse. Yet like the rest of the story, and most of the characters, it barely skims the surface, just touching on them before glossing it over with a layer of sweetness and light. Perhaps that's why it lifted my spirits: it never got bogged down with the serious issues, and continued blithely along with Novalee and Americus, her cute little girl with the horrid name.

"Where the Heart Is" is first and foremost a fairy tale. Rarely does a teenage mother without the support of a husband/boyfriend/girlfried/what-have-you experience the good fortune of meeting compassionate individuals offering food, shelter, and means to an income, as well as the veritable knight in a stocking cap, who not only manages to deliver the baby, but falls in love with her as well. While the film optimistically shows that good things can result from a seemingly hopeless situation, it should still be taken with a grain of salt. It is, after all, Hollywood, dressed up (or down) to look like middle America.

Cute story

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.

best movie i have seen in a long time

I absolutely loved this movie. I waited till it came out on video before I saw it because I have a 2 year old that prevents me from going to the theater. This movie made me laugh, cry, scream, and get angry. I would watch it again and again and probably see something new every time I watched it.

Gladly surprised

I have to admit, I almost didn't watch this movie, due to the comments I read here about it. It might be because I'm neither an american, nor have I read the book. Still, I decided to give it a chance & I'm so glad I did. This movie is sweet & romantic, the kind of movie I'm a sucker for. Also, it seemed to last just long enough, instead of being too long or too short. Both Natalie Portman & Ashley Judd are gorgeous in this one, I wouldn't want to have to choose between the two of them.
Anyway, watch this one as a romantic movie, nothing more & nothing less, then you'll just have a good experience.ThomasDK

Wow was this movie bad...

This movie is an excellent example of Hollywood's plot to slowly seduce you into a state of self-induced vegetation, pushing biliously sweet doses of clichéd, formulaic, underwhelming mediocrity through the IV, seeping into your bloodstream until your brain is paralyzed into a state of liquefied comatose mush- not unlike the very movie that induced it. Meanwhile, they slip their poisonous fingertips into your back pocket, robbing you blind of your money and your self-respect before leaving you to rot in your movie seat. If ever there was an antithesis to creativity, depth of thought or the honesty of human emotion, this cheap, exploitative farce of a film certainly takes the cake. Yes, it really is that bad. 0/10 stars.

Genuine

You know this movie doesn't quite have the interest or hype factor that something like "Gladiator" has but I found it just as entertaining but on a whole different level.There isn't a true plot line to this movie. It's more about the everyday life of a young woman and the impact she has on those around her. Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) is a young woman, pregnant with child, who has aspirations of living the American Dream with her less than ideal boyfriend. As is given away by the trailers, Nation's boyfriend abandons her at a Wal-Mart and Nation is forced to fend for herself and unborn child. She does the only logical thing. She lives in the Wal-Mart and eventually gives birth to her baby there. That's about the only true plot. From that point on, the story takes on a "day in the life" approach as the audience is given a glimpse of the people that go out of their way to help this young lady raise her child and guide her through life.What I really liked about this movie was that it was simple. There wasn't a complicated story or an abundance of special effects to distract you from the story. It was clean and simple with a genuine feel of humor laced throughout. You couldn't help but laugh. Natalie Portman was pretty good as Nation. She showed that she has a larger range than what was shown in "The Phantom Menace" but she still looks a little stiff in some scenes. Ashley Judd was very good as well but the real scene-stealer was Stockard Channing. I absolutely loved her and she added a good comedic element when required of her.Overall, I really liked this movie. It's not flashy but it's genuine and endearing. A good way to spend an afternoon or evening.

Film Essay

In Where The Heart Is, the number five is an ironic symbol of bad luck, because Novalee's misfortune began at an early age and her misfortune followed her to adulthood. Every time she comes across anything that includes the number five, whether it's five o'clock or five dollars in change at the store, it is followed by some form of calamity that makes Novalee's life a little harder. Furthermore, Novalee experienced misfortune even with her own daughter.Where The Heart Is first began as a novel written by Billie Letts. Then, it was turned into a motion pictured directed by Matt Williams and screenplay by Lowell Ganz. My aunt who always recommended me to watch it gave this movie to me as a Christmas gift. I think she wanted me to know that there are many hardships in life and to never give up, just like Novalee kept on going with her life even though she had many discouraging events that happened to her. Where The Heart Is opened in 2000 but I first watched it on November 20, 2005 in my room at my house. This movie rated 6.5 on a scale from one to ten on the Internet Movie Database. It was given a low scored because many viewers believed the characters could have been more developed in their parts. I personally would rate this movie a ten because it was very dramatic to me and very compelling. It had really captured my attention with Novalee's character and all of her misfortunes adding on and on as she kept trying to find some hope.In Where The Heart Is, the number five an ironic symbol of bad luck, because in the movie Novalee faces more struggles in her already misfortunate life when she comes along anything with the number five tied with it. Even though she did all she could to keep her away from pain, it still hovered over her like a black cloud always around.Novalee's life of bad luck had begun at early childhood. On her fifth birthday her mother left her for a baseball umpire and never came back and left her to spend her growing up years alone with no family to rely on. From that moment on she was cursed with ill luck. After she dropped out of school to wait tables in a restaurant, a waitress that went crazy attacked Novalee with a steak knife and cut her from wrist to elbow. It took fifty-five to stitch her back up. From this traumatic experience in her life, Novalee continued her life constantly followed with pain and heartache when she comes across the number five.Novalee's persistent misfortune had followed her throughout her life every since she was a young girl. She left her trailer home with her controlling boyfriend to begin a new life in Tennessee at five o'clock. He had bought an old heap for eighty dollars with no floor on the passenger side. Novalee fell asleep and her shoes fell out from the bottom. After, they stopped at a Wal Mart so that she could use the bathroom and to buy some slippers. After purchasing her item the cashier gave her change of five dollars and fifty-five cents. Novalee was horrified and ran out of the store leaving her stuff behind. She nervously ran out into the parking lot and only found her old camera sitting in the parking spot where she last saw her boyfriend. For the next two weeks she managed to stay inside the Wal Mart at night and using merchandise that would help her get through her day and her pregnancy. At the same time she kept a list of the things used and how much she owed Wal Mart. Then one night while Novalee slept, she felt a sharp pain from her stomach. She nervously walked down the aisle gasping in pain when her water broke and she fell to the ground in aisle five. She helplessly crawled to aisle six and then a man broke through the window and delivered her baby while she had passed out. She woke up the next day in the hospital only to be surprised that she was a local celebrity. She was now considered the mommy that gave birth to the Wal Mart baby. She wanted to give her baby a strong name that means something. She named her Americus Nation.Furthermore, Novalee still continued to come across more struggles even with her own daughter. Americus was born on July 5, 1995. When Americus was five days old she got the jaundice, when she was five weeks old she had an ear infection, and when she was five months old she was kidnapped. A religious couple that believed she was an abomination kidnapped her. They had come from Midnight, Tennessee to give the word of God to the baby but were turned away by the Welcome Woman. They were the same couple that sent Novalee a letter and wrote, "A baby born out of holy wedlock is an abomination in the eyes of God." After they kidnapped Americus, they had left her in a manger in a Nativity scene in front of a church.The number five is a symbol of the same main thing in the movie. One single number represents the pain and struggles of one person. Although, after all Novalee's heartaches it shows that everything turns out for the best and that with bad comes good.

Very touching

This was a very heartwarming and endearing film. Natalie Portman portrays her character very well and the plot is fairly original. This more of a softie, romantic type of film and certain scenes never fail to make my eyes glisten in happiness. The movie seems desperate at certain times, situations appear impossible, but there is a constant thread of hope and love, throughout it all.

Enjoyable...

Where the Heart Is
I really like Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd in this movie. You laugh, you cry... the trials and tribulations of life. Overall I enjoyed the movie. I have watched it a couple of time already.

Touching, beautiful done

I love this movie...it was beautifully done and really touches your heart! I just can't get enough of this movie. I try to watch it whenever I'm in the mood for a "feel good" chick flick. All the actors/actresses did a great job!