WHERE THE HEART IS
Rated PG-13 - Running Time: 2:00 - Released 4/28/00
Where The Heart Is provides yet another showcase for
the considerable acting talent of 18-year-old Israeli-born Natalie
Portman, who burst out of anonymity last year as Princess Amidala
in Star Wars: Episode
I - The Phantom Menace, and then followed it up with an
excellent performance opposite Susan Sarandon in Anywhere
But Here. Portman, who entered Harvard in the fall of
'99, has stated that she will not act during college except for
the upcoming Star Wars films, and, in fact, doesn't know
if she wants to pursue acting as a career at all. After Star
Wars II, she probably won't need to.
Penned by the successful writing team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo
Mandel, whose combined credits include Edtv,
City Slickers, and Parenthood, and directed by TV
producer Matt Williams (Roseanne, Home Improvement),
Where The Heart Is is a quirky story based on the novel
by Billie Letts about a small-town girl forced to examine her
life after she is dumped at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart by her deadbeat
boyfriend. With no cash, no shoes, a baby very much on the way,
and a phobia about the number 5, Novalee Nation is about as down
on her luck as one can be. But she soon makes Wal-Mart her temporary
home, hiding out when the store closes and sleeping there for
several weeks. During this time she meets a few of the locals:
Sister Husband (Stockard Channing), who acts as the town's "Welcome
Woman," is a devout sinner, a recovering alcoholic, and a
true friend. Forney Hall (James Frain) is a librarian who had
to quit his higher education because of a mysterious woman living
upstairs from his book collection. And Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd)
is a single mother of four children, all with different fathers,
all named after snack foods: "Brownie, Praline, Cherry, and
Baby Ruth."
With the love and support of her new friends, Novalee has her
baby, a daughter she names Americus, and overcomes her dubious
national fame as the "Wal-Mart mom." While witnessing
the growth of Novalee and Americus, we also follow (to a lesser
degree) the story of Willy Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno), the aforementioned
deadbeat, who, after leaving Novalee to her fate, spent a short
time in prison and went on to Las Vegas intending to become a
star. His eventual reappearance brings Novalee to a realization
that will change her life.
This story is a strange mix of the extremely real and the utterly
bizarre. The author's penchant for colorful names aside, there
are a number of loops and turns in the story that come as a complete
surprise, which, in a way, is much like life. Except in this story,
the bad things usually have something to do with the number 5.
It is a character-driven story, relying not so much on events
as the interaction of its people. There are a few surprise appearances,
like Sally Field as Novalee's mother and Joan Cusack as Willy
Jack's agent, Ruth Meyers, one of the few characters without an
unusual name. Portman gives a deep and heartfelt performance as
Novalee, and her growth as a character is evident with each new,
life-changing episode lurking around the corner. The performances
of her supporting cast members are rather spotty, but it may not
be wholly their fault; Williams's direction demands different
things from different characters. The result is a confusing, uneven
tone, in turns down-to-earth, emotional, silly, or totally off
the wall.
This film is funny, crazy, and at times almost incoherent; it's not perfect, but as a vehicle for Portman, it's certainly worth a look. ****