Synopsis
Norma Rae is a southern textile worker employed in a factory with intolerable working conditions. This concern about the situation gives her the gumption to be the key associate to a visiting labor union organizer. Together, they undertake the difficult, and possibly dangerous, struggle to unionize her factory.
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Cast
- Sally FieldNorma Rae
- Beau BridgesSonny
- Ron LeibmanReuben
- Pat HingleVernon
- Barbara BaxleyLeona
- Gail StricklandBonnie Mae
- Morgan PaullWayne Billings
- Robert BroylesSam Bolen
- John CalvinEllis Harper
- Booth ColmanDr. Watson
Recommendations
- 100
Variety
Norma Rae is that rare entity, an intelligent film with heart. - 100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
This is Sally Field's movie. Her performance - hyperbole completely aside - is peerless, one of the major achievements by an actress in the movies of any place and of any time. Reuben tells Norma Rae that when he wants a smart, loud, profane, sloppy, hardworking woman he'll call on her. From now on, when directors want legerdemain that becomes art, they're going to call on Sally Field.[10 Mar 1979] - 80
The New York Times
Norma Rae is a seriously concerned contemporary drama, illuminated by some very good performances and one, Miss Field's, that is spectacular. - 80
Time Out London
Nicely performed by a strong cast, especially Field and Leibman, it's often mawkishly soft, but surprisingly touching. - 80
TV Guide Magazine
The simple story is enlivened by an intelligent, compassionate screenplay, whose sole deficiency is that it makes no attempt to represent the management point of view. Field's performance is flawless. - 63
Chicago Tribune
Norma Rae is not a bad film, just one that made me angry for what it might have been. Imagine another, more skillful actor, say Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino, in Leibman's part; then strip away some of the more broadly drawn scenes, and Norma Rae could have been yet another fine film by director Martin Ritt ("Hud," "Sounder," and "Conrack"). [2 March 1979, p.4-12] - 50
Washington Post
It's a dear and corny story, played with lovable grubbiness by Sally Field and Ron Leibman. - 40
Chicago Reader
Photographed in murky yellows and browns by John Alonzo, this 1979 film is sluggish and vague, trivializing its subject in a wash of unearned sentimentality.
