Where the Heart Is: What a lovely movie!

Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) is a 15-year-old who has to grow up in a hurry. Left pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend at a parking lot of a Wal-mart in Oklahoma. Novalee takes refuge in a Wal-Mart. Some kindly strangers (Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd) "adopt" Novalee and her infant daughter, Americus, and together they try to build a life.

Within five minutes of this movie, I knew I was watching an inspired piece of work. This movie has what so many lack: character development. Also, there are fine performances throughout this work. The story centers on the struggles of a woman being pregnant under the most trying circumstances. Natalie Portman does an outstanding job playing the struggling woman, Novalee Nation. She receives assistance from others, notably Thelma "Sister" Husband, played by Stockard Channing, and Forney Hull, played by James Frain, both actors doing superbly. The bad guy in this movie, Novalee's boyfriend Willy Jack Pickens, is played by Dylan Bruno, who is also superb. Ashley Judd does an outstanding job as Novalee's friend, Lexie Coop. In fact, Ashley is in one of the most outstanding scenes ever as she has a post-tragedy encounter with Novalee after being beaten up badly by a boyfriend because he was abusing her kids. Special mention should go to two veterans of the screen, Sally Field as Novalee's ner do well mother, Mama Lil, and Joan Cusack as Ruth Meyers, would-be-singer Willy Jack's manager. They both had small parts, but made the most of it.

This movie is rated PG-13.
features:
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs, music videos, TV spots , trailer(s)