Where the Heart Is

Director: Matt Williams Matt Williams

Overview

"Matt Williams' quirky coming-of-age film Where the Heart Is makes its way to DVD with a solid 1.85:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer. There is an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as English and French tracks in Dolby Digital Surround; subtitles are available in both English and Spanish. In addition to a variety of theatrical trailers and television promotional spots, the disc contains the music video ""That's the Best of a Heart"" by the Warren Brothers featuring Sara Evans."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/14/2003
UPC:	0024543006350
Original Release:	2000
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:00:00
Sales rank:	3,722

Special Features

That's the Beat of a Heart" music video by The Warren Brothers featuring Sara Evans; Trailers and TV Spots; Anamorphic widescreen (aspect ratio: 1.85:1); Audio: English 5.1 surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Natalie Portman	Novalee Nation
Ashley Judd	Lexie Coop
Stockard Channing	Thelma 'Sister' Husband
Joan Cusack	Ruth Meyers
Sally Field	Mama Lil
James Frain	Forney Hull
Dylan Bruno	Willy Jack Pickens
Keith David	Moses Whitecotten
Ray Prewitt	Tim
Laura House	Nicki
Mary Ashleigh Green	Girl in Bathroom,Rhonda
Kinna McInroe	Wal-Mart Clerk
Linda Wakeman	Hospital Receptionist
David Alvarado	Cellmate
Mark Voges	Religious Man
Todd Lowe	Troy
Margaret Ann Hoard	Mary Elizabeth Hull
Rodger Boyce	Officer Harry
Gabriel Folse	Policeman #2
Sue McCormick	Cake Supplier
Laura Auldridge	Wal-Mart Assistant Manager
Alicia Godwin	Jolene
Dennis Letts	Sheriff
Richard Andrew Jones	Mr. Sprock
Kathryn Esquivel	Mrs. Ortiz
Mark Mathis	Reporter
J.D. Evermore	Orderly
Angee Hughes	Religious Woman
Mackenzie Fitzgerald	Americus Nation
Natalie Pena	Angela Ortiz
Yvette Diaz	Rosanna Ortiz
T.J. McFarland	Ray
Richard Nance	Johnny DeSoto
Tony Mann	M.C. of Banquet
John Swasey	Jerry
Scarlett McAlister	Kitty
Kylie Harmon	Praline
Cody Linley	Brownie
Bob Coonrod	Ernie
Heather Kafka	Delphia
Angelina Fiordellisi	Nurse
Cheyenne Rushing	Co-Ed
Deborah Abbott	Bar Girl
Stacy Bellew	Wal-Mart Girl
Jeremy Denzlinger	Reporter
Dan Eggleston	Truck Driver
Jim Henry	Bar Room Fighter
Cassandra L. Small	Birthday Party Guest
Russell Towery	Bass Player
Chris Warner	Wal-Mart Employee
Gena West	Hospital Visitor
Mason Daring	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Babaloo Mandel

Lowell Ganz

Matt Williams	Director,Producer
Babaloo Mandel	Screenwriter
Lowell Ganz	Screenwriter
Susan Cartsonis	Producer
David McFadzean	Producer
Patricia Whitcher	Producer
Rick Leed	Executive Producer
Carmen Finestra	Executive Producer
Suhail Kafity	Sound Effects
Matt Temple	Sound Effects
Kami Asgar	Sound Effects
Hank Garfield	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

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.