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, written by Lowell Ganz, is based on the best-selling novel by Billie Letts.
The film follows Novalee Nation, a pregnant 17-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, attracting 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, Texas.
Plot synopsis
Seventeen and pregnant, Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) sets off on a road trip from Tennessee to California with her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno). While in the car, Novalee puts Willy Jack's hand on her stomach and asks him if he can feel the baby's heartbeat. He says no, he cannot feel it. After that, the pair stops at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma for a bathroom break and to get shoes. Novalee runs in quickly, but when Novalee comes back out of the Wal-Mart, she finds that her boyfriend has left her, leaving behind only her Polaroid camera in the parking space.
For the rest of the afternoon, Novalee browses Wal-Mart trying to figure out what to do. That afternoon, she meets Sister Husband (Stockard Channing), who mistakenly believes Novalee to be a long lost relative ("Honey, just look at you lil Ruth Ann Mott, honey I ain't seen you since your momma passed!") and receives a "Welcome to Oklahoma" basket with some supplies in it, along with a (buckeye tree). Later on that evening, Novalee feels sick and runs into the bathroom to vomit, and when she comes out again she discovers that the store is closed, locked and dark. She soon figures out how to live undetected in the Wal-Mart.
Novalee visits the library. There, she meets Forney Hull (James Frain) who works at the library while caring for his sister who is the librarian, and whose health has been ruined by alcoholism. On another day, Novalee goes to Sister Husband's house and explains that she is not Ruth Ann. However, Sister Husband invites her in to stay for some cornbread and buttermilk along with Sister's boyfriend Mr. Sprock with whom she is consistently "fornicating" ("Dear Lord, we ask a blessing on this dinner and we pray for a safe delivery and a healthy child for our new friend, and Dear Lord, we ask for forgiveness for the fornication that me and Mr. Sprock have committed this afternoon"), and Novalee asks her if she can plant the buckeye tree in Sister's yard.
That night in the Wal-Mart, Novalee goes into labor. Forney, who watched her go into the store at closing time, jumps through a plate-glass window and helps deliver her baby. The next morning, Novalee wakes up in the hospital, an instant celebrity after giving birth in a Wal-Mart, and is stalked by several newscasters all day. After being asked by her nurse, Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd) what she will name her baby girl, Novalee decides to name her baby Americus. Novalee gets to know Lexie and Lexie reveals that she has had four children all by different men. "I started when I was 15 and then I just couldn't stop," she says. The first one she named Brownie, the second one Praline, the third one Cherry, and the fourth one Baby Ruth. (In the book it is revealed that she calls all the children names of junk food that she craved while pregnant. It is also revealed that Brownie's real name is Brummet, and Praline's real name is Pauline.) While in the hospital, Novalee gets a visit from her mother (Sally Field) whom she has not seen since she was a child. She and her mother discuss why she left, and her mother states that "That is all water under the bridge, I didn't drive ten hours to reminisce with you." Her mother pokes fun at Novalee's previous living situation, and then asks if she has a place to live. Novalee says no, and her mother says that the two women can get an apartment together. Novalee hands over the $500 that she was given by the president of the Wal-Mart chain to her mother, and her mother states that "I don't want you to worry about anything anymore, because Momma Lil is here now." Novalee agrees that her mother can come pick her and Americus up at 9:00 a.m. the next day. The next morning, Novalee waits for almost three hours in the lobby, and finally realizes that her mother is not coming. "Five hundred dollars, I should have known," she states. After being abandoned at the hospital by her mother, Sister Husband comes to the rescue that afternoon and offers Novalee and the baby a place to stay at her home.
A few years pass, and Novalee begins pursuing a career as a photographer with the help of her friend Moses Whitecotton (Keith David), whom she met at the Wal-Mart the day she was left behind also. He was the one who told her to give her baby "a name that means something." One day, when a tornado blows through the town, Novalee and Americus hide in an underground shelter, but Sister is out running an errand and does not make it back in time. Sister is killed and their trailer is destroyed. After the funeral, a lawyer approaches Novalee and informs her that she is the beneficiary of Sister's estate, worth around $41,000. Novalee proceeds to build a home for herself and Americus on Sister's land.
One day, Novalee receives a call from Lexie, her now best friend whom she met at the hospital. It turns out that it is her oldest son, Brownie. Supposedly Novalee cannot hear what he is saying, and eventually perceives that something bad is happening. She informs him that she will be right there. She drives as fast as she can to Lexie's house, and finds the house in utter disarray. She goes into Lexie's bedroom and finds her sitting on the floor covered in bloody cuts and injuries. Novalee immediately takes in Lexie and her children to live with her and Americus in their new house. One night, Lexie tells Novalee what happened. It turns out that Lexie's new boyfriend, Roger Brisco, had gone to her house and raped her two oldest children, Brownie and Praline, just before Lexie returned home from work. Lexie tells Novalee that she "flew at him" and attacked him, hitting him twice before he injures her and she blacks out. Lexie is at first devastated, but as time passes she and her children begin to heal.
When Forney’s sister passes away from alcoholism and he does not appear at the funeral, Novalee finds him in a hotel. She comforts him, and the two end up making love, after which he tells her he loves her. Forney returns to Maine to bury his sister and when he comes back Novalee realizes that he can finally go back to his old life and finish his education. Forney says he loves her and wants to stay with her, but Novalee lies saying she does not love him, thinking that he deserves a better life than she can offer. Later, Lexie advises Novalee to write to Forney, who has gone back to college, and ask him to come back to her, but she declines.
On Americus's 5th birthday, Novalee picks up a newspaper and reads a story about an amputee being robbed of his wheelchair. She realizes it is Willy Jack, her now ex-boyfriend and visits him in the hospital. He admits that he lied to her when he said he couldn't feel the baby's heartbeat on the day he initially left her behind. He says he wishes he could go back and undo the lie, because of how it changed his whole life.
Novalee finally realizes what a mistake she has made in lying to Forney. She drives Willy Jack home to Tennessee and then continues to New England to find Forney. She tells him that she loves him and they return to Oklahoma to be married in a Wal-Mart.
Cast
Music
Original music for the film was produced 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.
"Flies on the Butter" is played during the end credits and was written by Austin Cunningham.
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 film opened in theatres in the United States on April 8, 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.
References
External links
