Where the Heart Is

Director: Matt Williams, Brian Levant, Sandra L. Martin 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:	1,262

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
Sally Field	Mama Lil
Stockard Channing	Thelma `Sister' Husband
Joan Cusack	Ruth Meyers
Ray Prewitt	Tim
Laura House	Nicki
Mackenzie Fitzgerald	Americus Nation
Karey Green	Rhonda,Girl in Bathroom
Dylan Bruno	Willy Jack Pickens
Kinna McInroe	Wal-Mart Clerk
Richard Jones	Mr. Sprock
Laura Auldridge	Wal-Mart Assistant Manager
Margaret Ann Hoard	Mary Elizabeth Hull
Natalie Pena	Angela Ortiz
Yvette Diaz	Rosanna Ortiz
Richard Nance	Johnny Desoto
Alicia Godwin	Jolene
Kathryn Esquivel	Mrs. Ortiz
Todd Lowe	Troy
John Swasey	Jerry
Scarlett McAlister	Kitty
Kylie Harmon	Praline
Cody Linley	Brownie
Bob Coonrod	Ernie
Heather Kafka	Delphia
T.J. McFarland	Ray
Rodger Boyce	Officer Harry
Dennis Letts	Sheriff
Mark Mathis	Reporter
J.D. Evermore	Orderly
Linda Wakeman	Hospital Receptionist
David Alvarado	Cellmate
Mark Voges	Religious Man
Angee Hughes	Religious Woman
Gabriel Folse	Policeman No. 2
Angelina Fiordellisi	Nurse
Cheyenne Rushing	Co-Ed
Jeremy Denzlinger	Actor
Dan Eggleston	Actor
Ice Cube	Actor
Nia Long	Actor
Aleisha Allen	Actor
Philip Bolden	Actor
Jay Mohr	Actor
M.C. Gainey	Actor
Ray Galletti	Actor
Casey Dubois	Actor
J.B. McEown	Actor
Daniel Cudmore	Actor
Timothy Perez	Actor
Galadriel Stineman	Kathy Yoder
Kevin Joy	Isaac Mast
Jonathan Patrick Moore	Jack
Madison Lawlor	Miriam Yoder
Karla Cheatham-Mosley	Evelyn
Laura Shatkus	Hazel
Scott Cordes	Mr. Russo
Mason Daring	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Steven Gary Banks

Claudia Grazioso

D.F.W. Buckingham

Lowell Ganz

Babaloo Mandel

Matt Williams	Director,Producer
Brian Levant	Director
Sandra L. Martin	Director
Susan Cartsonis	Producer
David McFadzean	Producer
Patricia Whitcher	Producer
Matt Alvarez	Producer
Derek Dauchy	Producer
Ali Jazayeri	Producer
Chevonne O'Shaughnessy	Producer
George Shamieh	Producer
Viviana Zarragoitia	Producer
Carmen Finestra	Executive Producer
Rick Leed	Executive Producer
Steven Gary Banks	Screenwriter
Claudia Grazioso	Screenwriter
D.F.W. Buckingham	Screenwriter
Lowell Ganz	Screenwriter
Babaloo Mandel	Screenwriter
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.