Where the Heart Is true story

What shapes a person's personality? I don't think we are born with charm, charisma or quirkiness nor are we stamped with the vulgar impulses that some possess. Rather, I believe the way we are, the way we think and the way we treat others are the result of the experiences we've had throughout our lives. The trials and tribulations we face create who we are. The life of Novalee Nation is littered with these experiences and they make up a strong, determined main character in the movie Where the Heart Is.

The tale begins as a very pregnant Nation and her boyfriend, Willy Jack, are embarking on a trip that will take them from their poor Tennessee town to California, where Jack hopes to become a country singer. With his crude comments and ignorance of a woman's expectant state, Jack doesn't make a remarkable boyfriend, which is painfully obvious when he ditches Nation at a Wal-Mart during a bathroom break.

Nation, who is played sensationally by Natalie Portman, finds herself alone with a mere $5.55 to her name, a number that does not please her at all. She's completely afraid and utterly superstitious about fives, which is a good thing, considering everything bad that happens in the movie correlates with Nation seeing a five. Nation is resourceful, though, using the stage for the most horrific moment of her life as her home. While living in the Wal-Mart, she meets people from the small town of Sequoyah, Okla., such as Sister Husband, the Welcome Wagon lady; Lexie Coop, a nurse; and Forney, the town's librarian. After giving birth in Aisle 6, Nation becomes a celebrity of sorts and begins to salvage what fraction of a life she has left.

What confuses me, though, about this movie is why Jack's life is chronicled after he leaves Nation. Although what happens to him can be deemed poetic justice, it doesn't make sense to keep going back to how his life is progressing when it makes no difference in the real story.

What, by the way, is the real story? This is not as obvious as it should be. Where the Heart Is is a slow film, which does make it more true to life, but it's still ultimately sluggish. The story doesn't go anywhere; there's no concrete problem to be solved. It's just life - the life of a knocked-up teenager making something of herself. For some moviegoers, this would compare to paint drying. But, if you have patience - and patience is a virtue - Where the Heart Is manages to use the slow pace to show the five years that pass and all of the trials in between exceptionally well.

"Our lives can change with every breath we take," Nation said. Yes, she's telling the truth. Ranging from life to death, poverty to abuse, and love to heartbreak, those experiences do change Nation and make her a better person and stronger and yadda yadda yadda. Don't let my sarcasm fool you; it's true. But those events end too politely, too fittingly, too nicely to be believable. And there are so many of them it seems that life isn't throwing her a curveball ball or two, but rather the pitcher is trying to nail her in the face.

OK, so the pace is kind of slow and the story is too genteel. So why am I recommending this movie? The character development that's rarely seen in movies today is present in Where the Heart Is. All of the characters in the movie - from Nation, who recovers from the desolation in her life, to Forney, who copes with the fact that he'll never have a real life, to Lexie Coop, who just can't seem to stop having babies - undergo changes. Seldom do films allow you to know the characters like Where the Heart Is does.

The acting in this movie is exceptional. Portman is perfect as she breaks the Queen Amidala typecast that most thought The Phantom Menace would produce. Stockard Channing, who is one of my favorite actresses - c'mon, guys, Grease is a legend - is so absolutely genuine as Sister Husband that I was laughing endlessly. And even though Sally Field had only a minor role as Nation's estranged mother, she was incredible.

Practically every review I've seen begs guys not to label this movie a chick-flick and to run out and see it right away. I seriously do not agree with these people. Where the Heart Is is definitely a movie for women, make no mistake about it. That's horrendous because it has such a good message and terrific acting. What a shame that this film will not be appealing to everyone.

I highly recommend Where the Heart Is for women out there who want to see a film with an uplifting and powerful message about the strength that we all have inside. Whether we choose to acknowledge it, the strength is there and when times are at their worst, we will use it.

With that said, I would like to bid adieu to my moviegoing readers because this is my final review. It has been a lot of fun, and I will miss it and the bragging that I get to do every six weeks when my reviews are published. I do not regret the things I've done, but those I did not do, such as really rip a movie apart - ha! Hope you all enjoyed my jibber-jabber. Thanks. I'm out!