Synopsis
Novalee Nation is a 17-year-old Tennessee transient who has to grow up in a hurry when she's left pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend on a roadside, and takes refuge in the friendly aisles of Wal-Mart. Eventually, some eccentric but kindly strangers 'adopt' Novalee and her infant daughter, helping them buck the odds and build a new life.
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Cast
- Natalie PortmanNovalee Nation
- Ashley JuddLexie Coop
- Stockard ChanningThelma 'Sister' Husband
- Joan CusackRuth Meyers
- Sally FieldMama Lil
- James FrainForney Hull
- Dylan BrunoWilly Jack Pickens
- Keith DavidMoses Whitecotten
- Ray PrewittTim
- Laura HouseNicki
- 67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
In no way is this a serious movie. Still, it's hard to resist. - 63
Chicago Tribune
Never really feels right. - 50
New York Post
Hard-core chick shlock, weakened by odd shifts in tone and a slack pace, but elevated by a luminous performance by Natalie Portman. - 40
Film.com
Serves up the usual homilies, but it lacks the quirky density and cinematic snap. - 40
TNT RoughCut
Worthwhile performances (including cameos from Joan Cusack and Sally Field) and one-liners, but don't leave your home looking for Heart. - 30
Austin Chronicle
Home may be where the heart is, but I kept wishing this poor silly girl would up and move. - 20
Salon
Portman and Judd aren't responsible for the mendacious and finally repulsive sentimentality of Where the Heart Is, but by the end their wholesome glow seemed contaminated by it, and that's a shame. - 20
Variety
Banal and trite where it could have been insightful and emotionally truthful, this Fox release is also notable for featuring the first disappointing performance by teen star Natalie Portman.