Barnes & Noble

Winsome Natalie Portman, in her first bona fide starring vehicle, lights up the screen as the plucky heroine of this warm, engaging drama, adapted from a well-received novel by Billie Letts. She plays an uneducated Southern teenager named Novalee Nation, impregnated and eventually abandoned by a callow rock-star wannabe. After giving birth in a Wal-Mart, Novalee takes up residence in a small town and acquires a group of friends that includes a hard working single mom (Ashley Judd), a Bible-quoting tippler (Stockard Channing), and an eccentric young librarian (James Frain). Former sitcom director Matt Williams takes his audience on an emotional roller-coaster ride with these immensely likable characters; we soar to blissful heights and plummet to the darkest depths at their side. But even when buffeted by tragedy, Novalee and her friends retain an essential optimism, a belief that gain invariably follows loss, which lifts their spirits and eventually brings tranquility. Guaranteed to stir the emotions, Where the Heart Is stops just short of cloying sentimentality, thanks largely to the carefully calibrated performances of its capable cast. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Pregnant 17-year-old Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) runs away from her Tennessee home toward the bright lights of California, accompanied by her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickins (Dylan Bruno). But Willy gets cold feet and abandons her at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, OK. Novalee's life savings amount to $5.55, so she moves into the Wal-Mart, sleeping there at night and venturing out during the day. With the help of the eccentric Sister Husband (Stockard Channing), and Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd), a nurses' aide, Novalee tries to get her life in order for the sake of her expected child, Americus Nation. Based on a novel by Billie Letts, Where the Heart Is also features Keith David, Joan Cusack, Richard Nance, and Heather Kafka. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 024543006350
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 2:00:00

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ever After/Where the Heart Is/Someone like You
• Natalie Portman Celebrity Pack
• Banger Sisters & Where Heart Is

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