America's Heart and Soul

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America's Heart and Soul

PG

Released May 1, 2004

1h 28m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Documentary filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg embarks on a massive road trip through the United States to explore the nation's majestic landscape and learn more about the people who inhabit it. Along the way, he forms bonds with a disparate cross-section of Americans and emerges with a portrait of a rather diverse population. Despite the individuality of the people, though, they are united by common aspirations, and by their feelings for the country they call home.

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Critics Consensus

Louis Schwartzberg's sprawling tour across America highlights the heartland's visual beauty, but this resolutely uncritical inquiry in the nation's soul is frustratingly shallow.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

A big, beautiful love letter to America.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 21, 2010

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Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Even if [Schwartzberg's] choices feel somewhat clichd, there's no doubting the spirit of his subjects, who seem genuinely proud to share their thoughts and feelings for a few, too brief moments.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 13, 2004

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

An inspirational and emotionally effective feel-good film.

Jul 12, 2004

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Lisa Ann Cockrel

Christianity Today

Forget reality television. This is reality and it's all about people who don't need a head shot to validate their existence.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 1, 2006

Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

... a whirlwind tour of the nation through the romantic, colorful, gravity-defying cinematography of director Louis Schwartzberg.

Rated: B+

Dec 6, 2004

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Tony Medley

tonymedley.com

a mixture of laughter, awe, admiration, and poignancy.

Rated: 9/10

Sep 24, 2004

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Audience Member

A documentary film directed by Louis Schwartzberg that features interviews and scenes from around the United States. The editing by Brian Funck and Tom McGah is well done as none of the segments lasted too long or left me wanting more. The segments covered several different cultures and traditions, both sacred and secular. My only real complaint was the lack of any Asian American segments. Several segments featured music and I appreciated those. The film did leave me with a sense of incompleteness, as it barely touched the cool things that happen in American everyday. As documentary films go, I think this one is worth your time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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s r

Beautiful, but confused at what it was trying to accomplish. It tried to hard to make things come together, but it never did. It was on Disney+.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Pretty good graphics! Watched it in my economics class, and it was alright, but not one of the best I've seen!!!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

(First and only viewing - In my mid-twenties)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

It was alright. The opening sequence was neat, but the movie got boring after awhile. I think its way too long. Some segments were more interesting than others. I probably wouldn't care to watch the whole thing again.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

Pretty good graphics! Watched it in my economics class, and it was alright, but not one of the best I've seen!!!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Louie Schwartzberg

Director

Vincent Ueber

Producer

Louie Schwartzberg

Cinematographer

Joshua Winget

Sound

Jake Eberts

Executive Producer

Brian Funck

Film Editing

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Synopsis

Documentary filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg embarks on a massive road trip through the United States to explore the nation's majestic landscape and learn more about the people who inhabit it. Along the way, he forms bonds with a disparate cross-section of Americans and emerges with a portrait of a rather diverse population. Despite the individuality of the people, though, they are united by common aspirations, and by their feelings for the country they call home.

Director: Louie Schwartzberg
Producer: Vincent Ueber
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Blacklight Films
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $314.0K
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital

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