Starring Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, James Frain, Dylan Bruno, Joan Cusack, Sally Field, Keith David. Directed by Matt Williams.

Novalee Nation (Portman) is very pregnant and living in a trailer park with her boyfriend Willy (Bruno). They decide to take off to California to start a new life. But when Novalee goes into a Wal-mart to buy some shoes, she comes back out and finds boyfriend and car gone, with only her camera left in the parking spot where the car used to be. With virtually no money, she spends the night in the Wal-mart, and continues to do so for the next few weeks. After six weeks, Novalee's water breaks right on the Wal-mart floor, and the town librarian Forley (Frain) who saw her go in the store bursts in and helps her deliver the baby. In the hospital she meets the upbeat nurse Lexie (Judd) who convinces her being a single mom isn't so bad, since she has four of her own kids without benefit of a man. Although she'd like to have one that would stick.

Because her Wal-mart birth made the papers and television, her long estranged mother (Field) arrives and says she wants to patch things up. But Novalee and the baby end up staying with Christian, reformed-alcoholic Sister Husband (Channing) who she had met earlier in town. As time goes by, Novalee and Lexie become the best of friends and share their lives as they and their children grow up.

While a classic chick flick, the film succeeds reasonably well for two main reasons. Firstly, the script is low key, avoiding histrionics and the overblown dialogue "relationship" films often contain. The conclusion to the film, which I won't divulge, is romantic in the best sense and not the often contrived, tear-jerking cryfest that can occur. And no one catches a deadly illness just after finding love. Secondly, the cast is quite good. Portman is totally believable as the naive, sweet girl who tends to trust the wrong people. Judd is totally charming as the man-crazy but good-hearted friend. Their chemistry together is excellent. No, it's not that kind of chemistry. Channing brings a quiet decency to a giving woman who has patched up her life and wishes to help others in need. Her well-written character is a rare example of a positive portrayal of a Christian person, her Sister being an imperfect but non-judgemental and loving person. On the negative side, the film does meander a bit from crisis to crisis, and there are some implausibilities, such as Forney breaking through the window of the Wal-mart just at the precise moment Novalee is having the baby. But overall, Where The Heart Is is a quality film that even guys might appreciate.

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