Where the Heart Is (2000 film)
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| Where the Heart Is | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Matt Williams |
| Written by | Billie Letts (novel) Lowell Ganz (screenplay) |
| Starring | Natalie Portman Ashley Judd |
| Music by | Mason Daring |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | April 28, 2000 |
| Running time | 120 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Where the Heart Is is a 2000 drama/romance film directed by Matt Williams and produced by Susan Cartsonis, David McFadzean, Patricia Whitcher and Matt Williams. The film stars Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. The screenplay is written by Lowell Ganz, which is based on the best-selling novel by Billie Letts.
The film follows Novalee Nation, a pregnant seventeen-year old girl from Tennessee, who sets out for California with her boyfriend. When they stop in Oklahoma, her boyfriend abandons her. Since Novalee has only a few dollars, she secretly moves into a Wal-Mart store. She gives birth to her baby and attracts media attention and she sets up a new life with the help of new friends. The film was released by 20th Century Fox on April 28, 2000. It was filmed in Waco, TX
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[edit] Plot summary
Novalee Nation is a pregnant seventeen-year old girl who sets off on a road trip to California from Tennessee with her unappreciative boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens, in a run down old car. The pair stop at a Wal-Mart so Novalee can go to the bathroom and buy a pair of house shoes, as her originals fell through a hole in the floor of the passenger seat of the car. She is given $5.55 change from her purchase, having a fear of the number 5, she runs out to the carpark, and as she expected, her boyfriend had gone, leaving her belongings in the carpark.
After being "mistaken" for someone else, she makes a new friend, Thelma 'Sister' Husband, who in the future helps her out greatly. Thelma also gives her a buckeye tree which are supposed to be good luck. For the rest of the afternoon Novalee browses Wal-Mart, trying to figure out what to do. Novalee hides in the bathroom until the store is locked. She soon figures out how to live undetected but keeps track of what she takes from the store. Meanwhile, Willy has picked up a girl on his way to California. The girl turns out to be 14 years old, and Willy is arrested and jailed after the police pull him over for a related robbery. Meanwhile back in Oklahoma, Novalee takes the now dying tree into a local Library, searching for some information to help care for it. She meets a busy educated man, Forney Hull, who works there and takes care of his sick sister, he shows her some books; Novalee has difficulty in reading some of the texts. Novalee returns to the Sister’s house, and gives her the plant back to plant in her yard, as she feels she cannot take proper care of it. Novalee and Sister quickly develop a friendship. That night in the Wal-Mart, Novalee goes into labor and collapses, Forney, who curiously watched her go into the store during closing time, jumps through the window and saves the child. The morning after she has given birth and thus attracted media attention, as her child is dubbed the "Wal-Mart baby", she names the baby girl Americus. Her estranged mother (played by Sally Field) returns, who had left her when she was 5 years-old, but after taking Novalees’ money that she received from all the attention, the mother flees, stranding Novalee at the hospital. Sister, however, comes by the hospital and offers Novalee and the baby a place to stay at her home. Novalee returns to the library to thank Forney and the pair become close friends, as she does with Lexie Coop, who is her nurse at the hospital. Meanwhile Willy has been released from jail and is pursuing a career in music.
After picking out a Christmas tree with Forney, he remembers that Americus is now exactly 5 months old, Novalee panics and rushes home, to find that the baby has been taken from the house. After a bible is found in the baby's crib, Sister realizes that an old couple who have come by before have taken her, who wanted to give Novalee the word of God, as she was not married when she gave birth. The baby is found alive in a Christmas display beside a road. Meanwhile, Willy has tried out at a talent agency, and subsequently got hired. Novalee has since pursued a career as a photographer. Back in Oklahoma, a tornado warning has been issued, and everyone is sent to an underground bunker, but Sister never returns, and does not make it to the bunker. Some time after the funeral, a lawyer approaches Novalee and informs her that she has been given Sister's estate, worth around $41,000. Novalee proceeds to build a home - and is able to complete her simple dreams.
Novalee and Willy almost run into each other in the lobby of a hotel, as she goes to accept a photography award, and later gets dumped by his manager. Lexie and her children move in with Novalee, after her boyfriend Roger abused her and the children. Tragedy follows soon after when Forney’s sister passes away. After Forney does not appear at the service, Novalee finds him at a hotel - when in comforting him, they spontaneously kiss each other, and then make love. Forney returns to Maine to bury his sister. When he returns, Novalee has realized that he can finally move on and finish his education, when Forney says he loves her, Novalee says she does not love him. Lexie proceeds to marry her boyfriend Ernie, an exterminator, who also has children. Willy, who has become a drunken mess, crawls out of his girlfriend’s car and wanders down to the train tracks where he has flashbacks of Novalee. Willy collapses on the tracks, where a train runs over his legs.
It is Americus' 5th birthday, and Novalee is understandably anxious. When she picks up a newspaper she reads a story about a paraplegic getting robbed who is in hospital, it turns out to be Willy. Upon visiting Willy, he admits that he lied to her, when he said he couldn't feel the baby's heart beat when she was pregnant and asks for her forgiveness. Novalee realises what a mistake she has made by lying to Forney. She takes Willy back to his hometown and she goes on to Maine to find Forney, where she tells him that she does love him. Novalee and Forney marry in the Wal-Mart back home.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Natalie Portman | Novalee Nation |
| Ashley Judd | Lexie Coop |
| Stockard Channing | Thelma 'Sister' Husband |
| Sally Field | Mama Nell |
| Joan Cusack | Ruth Meyers |
| James Frain | Forney Hull |
| Dylan Bruno | Willy Jack Pickens |
| Keith David | Moses Whitecotten |
[edit] Differences from the novel
The opening scene with Novalee and her friends never featured in the book, which opens with Novalee and Willy Jack already on the road. This was most likely added to give a little history to the situation and explain Novalees dislike of the number 5.
In the book, it is the number 7, not the number 5, which causes Novalee bad luck.
Throughout the book, Novalee has vivid dreams relating to her real life troubles. These were entirely eliminated for the film.
The character of Benny Goodluck is never used in the film.
- In the book, it is Benny, not Sister Husband, who gives Novalee the Buckeye tree.
- Benny is the one who sets Novalee up with the job of taking photos of one of his teacher's weddings.
- It is a photo of Benny which wins Novalee the Kodak prize.
Willy Jack's role was considerably smaller in the film.
- In the book, he meets Jolene in a bar, and they agree to meet up and run away together later on. Just like in the film, they are pulled over, and Willy Jack is arrested for the stolen goods.
- In the book, he suffers several incidences of abuse, including from the doctor who is meant to be fixing him up. However he never gets into a fight with his cell mate.
- The character of Claire Hudson was removed for the film. In the book, she thinks Willy Jack is the reincarnation of her long dead son. She gives him a guitar,some money when he is released, and copyrights "The beat of a heart" in her dead sons name, leading to all the trouble Willy Jack faces down the line.
- In the book, Willy Jack and Novalee are heading to California so that Willy Jack can work for the railroad with his cousin J. Paul. Although Novalee isn't aware of it, J. Paul had his thumb cut off at work, and received a large sum of compensation for it. Willy Jack plans to have a similar "accident" so that he too can be compensated. This is never mentioned in the film, though it is unclear whether this is still Willy Jack's plan.
- In the film, Willy Jack asks Novalee whether the baby was a boy or a girl, and what it was called. In the book, his cousin had told him Americus' name, and he had secretly called Novalee's house, although he never actually spoke on the phone.
In the book, Lexie is described to be much more plump than shown in the film. Throughout the film, she comes up with several ways to lose weight, including using hot sauce to burn calories from food, and eating standing up. In the novel, it is only when she suffers a much more horrific attack by Roger Briscoe than portrayed in the film that she has her jaw wired shut, leading to a huge weight loss.
In the film, Novalee tells her mother that Sam Walton gave her $500 and offered her a job. In the book, he comes to the hospital and does the same, as well as write off Novalee's Walmart debt. He is also mentioned later on in the book when he dies.
Although Forney is still a major character in the film, his role is condensed somewhat:
- In the book, he visits Novalee daily, bringing her a new book from the library, and spending a set amount of time each night reading to Americus.
- Forney throws Novalee a beautiful birthday party, with candles, flowers, and homemade cooking. It is at the party when Novalee meets Forney's sister Mary.
- Instead of going alone to Sante Fe like she does in the film, Novalee travels with Forney.
- In the film, Forney leaves town and goes to college. In the book, he travels for a short while before finally settling in a book store in Chicago.
[edit] Music
Original music for the film was poduced by Mason Daring. A soundtrack was released by RCA Records.
That's The Beat of A Heart was performed by The Warren Brothers and featured Sara Evans, the videoclip for the song featured a number of scenes from the film.
[edit] Reception
Natalie Portman was given credit for her portrayal of Novalee Nation, put simply by Roger Ebert, that "Portman is quite an actress"[1], the acting of Judd, Field, and Channing was equally as praised by critics.
The filmed opened in theatres in the United States on April 8 in 2000. Where the Heart Is accumulated (USD)$8,292,939 in its opening weekend, opening at #4.
The film went on to make $33,772,838[2] at the United States box office, just over twice its budget. It made $7,090,880 in international box office, for a worldwide total of $40,863,718.
[edit] DVD
The DVD was distributed by 20th Century Fox. The special features that are included, are;
- a music video
- the theatrical trailer
[edit] Trivia
- The campus scenes supposedly at Bowdoin College in Maine were actually filmed on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
- The Walmart store where the movie was filmed is actually located in Lockhart, Texas instead of in Oklahoma.
[edit] References
- ^ Where the Heart Is. rogerebert.com. Retrieved on 15 April 2006.
- ^ Where the Heart Is. boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 15 April 2006.
[edit] External links
