June 29 - Where the Heart Is

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 29. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight. 

WHERE THE HEART IS

Pregnant Novalee Nation and her boyfriend Willy Jack Pickens leave Tennessee for California. When asked he says he can’t feel the baby’s heartbeat. When they stop at the Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, so Novalee can go to the bathroom, he abandons her and drives on. Novalee meets Sister Husband, who runs the local Welcome Wagon.  She mistakes Novalee for someone else and gives her a buckeye tree in a can. Novalee gets accidentally locked in the Wal-Mart when it closes and spends the night there. Meanwhile, Willy Jack picks up an underage girl and gets arrested as an accessory to the robbery of a 7-11. Novalee lives in the Wal-Mart, but on June 29, 1995 [19:34 to 22:52] she visits the Sequoyah Public Library. She wants to get info about her tree and meets Forney, the librarian.  Novalee re-connects with Sister and Forney follows her back to the Wal-Mart. When Novalee goes into labor, he breaks into the store and delivers her baby. The birth of Americus, as Novalee calls her in a Wal-Mart sets off a media frenzy. People send her money and Wal-Mart gives her a job. Novalee’s mom shows up and steals all the donations. Novalee and Americus are taken in by Sister Husband. In prison Willy Jack starts writing songs and playing the guitar. Novalee has a one night stand with a mechanic, which results in a pregnancy scare. Novalee becomes friends with Lexie, a pediatric nurse who she met when Americus was born.  Novalee learns that Forney takes care of his alcoholic sister at the expense of his dream to become a history teacher. Novalee becomes interested in learning photography. Willy Jack goes to Nashville and Americus is kidnapped, but returned safely. Willy Jack gets Ruth Myers, an agent to represent him. She gives him a makeover and his song starts to become a hit. Novalee starts trying to earn money with her photography, but a tornado hits the town, killing Sister Husband.  Novalee is surprised to learn Sister left her estate to her, which she uses to build a new house.  Novalee wins a photography award and almost meets Willy Jack again. Willy Jack gets sued for plagiarism on a song he wrote and becomes a drunk. Lexie’s new boyfriend tries to abuse her kids and beats her up, so she moves in with Novalee. Forney’s sister dies and when he’s not at the funeral, she tracks him down to the hotel where he’s staying and they have a romantic interlude, after which he tells Novalee that he loves her.  After he returns from burying his sister in Maine, Forney asks Novalee if she loves him. Novalee, who has secretly never thought she was good enough for the college educated Forney, but has loved him all along, lies and says she dos not love him. Forney returns to Maine. Lexie and her latest boyfriend Ernie get married. Novalee reads in the paper that a wheelchair belonging to Willy Jack was stolen. He had lost his legs in a train accident while drunk. She goes to see him and he tells her he lied about not being able to feel the baby’s heartbeat and that he regrets this. Novalee takes Willy Jack back to Tennessee and drives on to Maine where she confesses to Forney that she lied and they are reunited. The film closes with their wedding in Wal-Mart.

A very good film. It just seems real. It’s not one of these sickeningly sweet romantic comedies where no one has any doubts or problems. These feel like real people that you might actually know or know of. Novalee in particular grows up a lot in this film, thanks to the support of her friends.  

Date given in film at 20:19 in her “expense” journal, as the last date shown is the 28^th.

Producer - Susan Cartsonis, Gerrit Folsom, Diane Minter Lewis, David McFadzean, 

                  Patricia Whitcher and Matt Williams

Director - Matt Williams

Screenplay - Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel

Runtime – 2 hours

Released - April 28, 2000

Starring –

Natalie Portman as Novalee Nation

Ashley Judd as Lexie Coop

Stockard Channing as Thelma 'Sister' Husband

Joan Cusack as Ruth Meyers

James Frain as Forney Hull

Dylan Bruno as Willy Jack Pickens

Keith David as Moses Whitecotton

Sally Field as Mama Lill

Margaret Hoard as Mary Elizabeth Hull

Watch a trailer for Where the Heart Is