Places in the Heart

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Places in the Heart

PG

Released Sep 21, 1984

1h 51m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

89%

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38 Reviews

83%

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5,000+ Ratings

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding (Sally Field) struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run and very little money in the bank -- not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret (Lindsay Crouse) ; a blind boarder, Mr. Will (John Malkovich) ; and a would-be thief, Moze (Danny Glover), who decides to stick around to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

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Critics Consensus

Places in the Heart is a quiet character piece with grand ambitions that it more than fulfills, thanks to absorbing work from writer-director Robert Benton and a tremendous cast.

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Megan Rosenfeld

Washington Post

You must simply accept the flood of emotion and let it wash over you, because the tears are jerked by performances that are informed by intelligence and taste as well as emotional honesty.

Mar 23, 2020

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

I have no doubt that Robert Benton's Oscar-nominated Places In The Hear is a sincere film. But I find it pretty egregious just the same, covered with a thin layer of Hollywood treacle that consistently' prevents it packing the emotional punch intended.

Mar 23, 2020

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Philip Strick

Times (UK)

[The] story has the fond hues and textures of instant nostalgia, cosily wrapped in the Sunday rituals of the film's leisurely start and outrageously sentimental finish.

Mar 23, 2020

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The performances all around are tremendous.

Rated: 9/10

Jan 17, 2025

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Peter Ackroyd

The Spectator

Places in the Heart is not an altogether memorable film, but what strength it possesses comes from the fact that it has the courage of its orthodox convictions.

Apr 7, 2020

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Molly Haskell

Vogue

Sally Field gives her best performance ever.

Mar 23, 2020

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Leaburn O

A fairly formulaic 30s Texan drama with all the expected characters. There’s an affair going on between minor characters which seems to be oddly shoehorned into the film but bares little purpose to the main narrative. It is well acted and a good watch. Part of my list of Best Picture nominees. Rather difficult to find these days so I rented it on Amazon Prime.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

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Mike P

After wading knee deep in all the hippy progressiveness and culture shock of the 70s with Kramer vs Kramer... Now director Robert Benton takes a hard pivot into Little House on the Prairie territory...With this classic story of a woman fighting to save her farm from greedy bankers...So this is very traditional, old school Americana...Brilliantly evoked by Benton; who gets the tone, the lingo and the sets just right... So this isn't exactly cutting edge stuff; it's a throwback; but it works beautifully nonetheless.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/31/24

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TJ H

I just watched Places in the Heart for about the 50th time. Love this movie. I remember seeing it in the theater in 1985. The ending knocked me out then as it still does today. I truly enjoyed this movie, but it was the ending that stayed with me - I recall telling my co-worker "I just saw the greatest ending to a movie". I think people make too much out of it - wanting it to connect somehow to the overall story. It is just a few minutes meant to help us remember that we all do things we would like to be forgiven for. As one reviewer wrote - it still packs a wallop today!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

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Devra B

I loved this old fashioned movie! I can't believe it took me this long to see it. Highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

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Nim T

This was an Oscar-winning film for Sally Field, to which I have to say is a really good choice. The movie was simple, yet effective as it described about a widow having to suddenly take care of the whole family after the untimely death of her husband. The obstacles she had to endure based on financial trouble and also having to complete the role as a fatherly figure brings harmony. The interactions that she had with Mr. Will and Moses brought a lot of emotional feedback related to the kindness between people, despite different races or stories. A wonderfully fresh film to watch if you want to see older movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

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Alec B

Not without some effective moments but Benton could have excised the tedious subplots and lost nothing. In fact he could have used that extra time to flesh out all three of his main characters.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

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Robert Benton

Director

Sally Field

Edna Spalding

Lindsay Crouse

Margaret Lomax

John Malkovich

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Synopsis

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding (Sally Field) struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run and very little money in the bank -- not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret (Lindsay Crouse) ; a blind boarder, Mr. Will (John Malkovich) ; and a would-be thief, Moze (Danny Glover), who decides to stick around to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

Director: Robert Benton
Producer: Arlene Donovan
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Delphi II
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2014
Runtime: 1h 51m

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