While I'll be the first to criticize Norma Rae, Sally Field's second Academy Award for Places in the Heart wasn't nearly as infuriating. For one reason, it's actually a good movie! For another, she has much more to do than just hold up a picket sign. She puts on a southern accent, fights for her farm against the weather, and stands up to bullying neighbors while raising children alone after her husband is killed. If you like these kinds of movies but 1984 was before your time, rent it for movie night with your friends. Bring along a bottle of champagne to pop afterwards and say, "You like me! You really like me!"
A big supporting cast joins Sally on her family farm. John Malkovich, in my favorite of his performances, plays a blind man she takes into her home as a boarder. What starts as charity turns into much more as he proves to be much more useful than anyone suspected. Danny Glover's character is also full of surprises. He's a farmer who comes to her door asking for work, but because it's Texas in the 1930s, she turns him away. He doesn't leave, though, and she finds him in the morning planting seeds in her dozens of acres. Lane Smith is the fast-talking fellow constantly urging her to sell her land and give up. And in an adorable trivia, Ed Harris and Amy Madigan got married after making this movie together - and they're still happily married today!
Even if you don't like Sally Field, you'll be able to suffer through this movie. It has all the drama, sentiment, good values, and heart that it needs to make you feel connected and invested. While you can probably picture Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange, or Glenn Close as better choices for the lead role, Sally does have the doe-eyed child look to her face that makes you wonder if she'll make it through or just collapse in a heap and ask her parents to take over. All in all, it's a good movie, so give it (and her) a chance.
A big supporting cast joins Sally on her family farm. John Malkovich, in my favorite of his performances, plays a blind man she takes into her home as a boarder. What starts as charity turns into much more as he proves to be much more useful than anyone suspected. Danny Glover's character is also full of surprises. He's a farmer who comes to her door asking for work, but because it's Texas in the 1930s, she turns him away. He doesn't leave, though, and she finds him in the morning planting seeds in her dozens of acres. Lane Smith is the fast-talking fellow constantly urging her to sell her land and give up. And in an adorable trivia, Ed Harris and Amy Madigan got married after making this movie together - and they're still happily married today!
Even if you don't like Sally Field, you'll be able to suffer through this movie. It has all the drama, sentiment, good values, and heart that it needs to make you feel connected and invested. While you can probably picture Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange, or Glenn Close as better choices for the lead role, Sally does have the doe-eyed child look to her face that makes you wonder if she'll make it through or just collapse in a heap and ask her parents to take over. All in all, it's a good movie, so give it (and her) a chance.