Where the Heart Is
A pregnant teen abandoned on a highway must turn a Walmart aisle into a home, fighting poverty and doubt while a band of unlikely allies rally to help her forge a future for herself and her newborn.
“Laughter is harder... Friendship is stronger... Trust is deeper... When it comes from the heart.”
Synopsis
Novalee Nation is a 17-year-old transient from Tennessee who is forced to mature quickly after being left pregnant and alone by her boyfriend on the side of the road. She finds temporary shelter and comfort among the aisles of a Wal-Mart. Over time, a group of quirky but well-meaning strangers take Novalee and her infant daughter in, offering them support and helping them overcome the challenges they face to create a new life together.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 76+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Ian CraffordShot by Richard GreatrexScored by Mason DaringDesigned by Paul Peters
Box Office
2000 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 2.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$33.8M
US & Canada: $33.8M — 100% of worldwide · International: $27K (0%)
Opening weekend: $8.3M — 25% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $10.6M — 31% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,437 theaters
Also known as
- Wo dein Herz schlägtde
- Où le cœur nous mènefr
- Qui, dove batte il cuoreit
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
76 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Natalie Portman
as Novalee Nation
James Frain
as Forney Hull
Ashley Judd
as Lexie Coop
Stockard Channing
as Thelma 'Sister' Husband
Joan Cusack
as Ruth Meyers
Sally Field
as Mama Lil
Dylan Bruno
as Willy Jack Pickens
Sue Mccormick
as Cake Supplier
Keith David
as Moses Whitecotten
Ray Prewitt
as Tim
Laura House
as Nicki
Mary Ashleigh Green
as Girl in Bathroom
Supporting cast
52Kinna Mcinroe
as Wal-Mart Clerk
Linda Wakeman
as Hospital Receptionist
David Alvarado
as Cellmate
Mark Voges
as Religious Man
Todd Lowe
as Troy
Margaret Hoard
as Mary Elizabeth Hull
Rodger Boyce
as Officer Harry
Gabriel Folse
as Policeman #2
Karey Green
as Rhonda
Laura Auldridge
as Wal-Mart Assistant Manager
Alicia Godwin
as Jolene
Dennis Letts
as Sheriff
Richard Andrew Jones
as Mr. Sprock
Kathryn Esquivel
as Mrs. Ortiz
Mark Mathis
as Reporter
J D Evermore
as Orderly
Angee Hughes
as Religious Woman
Mackenzie Fitzgerald
as Americus Nation
Nataly Pena
as Angela Ortiz
Yvette Diaz
as Rosanna Ortiz
T J Mcfarland
as Ray
Richard Nance
as Johnny DeSoto
Tony Mann
as M.C. of Banquet
John Swasey
as Jerry
Scarlett Mcalister
as Kitty
Kylie Harmon
as Praline
Cody Linley
as Brownie
Bob Coonrod
as Ernie
Heather Kafka
as Delphia
Angelina Fiordellisi
as Nurse
Cheyenne Rushing
as Co-Ed
Deborah Abbott
as Bar Girl
Alecia Batson
as Girl in Bar / Girl on the Street
Stacy Bellew
as Wal-Mart Girl
Jeff Cooper
as Nightclub Customer / Pedestrian
Rebecca Davis
as Photo Finalist
Lisa Del Dotto
as Wedding Guest
Jeremy Denzlinger
as Reporter
Dan Eggleston
as Truck Driver
Adrian Garza
as Young Brownie
Jim Henry
as Bar Room Fighter (uncredited)
Molly Howe
as Lynne (uncredited)
K Todd Lytle
as Customer at Gas Station
Erica Mincks
as Miss Sequoyah
Trevor Doyle Nelson
as Partygoer
Bobby Shue
as Wal-Mart Customer
Cassandra L Small
as Birthday Party Guest / Wedding Guest
Russell Towery
as Bass Player
Chris Warner
as Wal-Mart Employee
Gena West
as Hospital Visitor
Jerry Wu
as Bar Patron
Jason C Young
as Professor
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
4Other crew
5Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for Where the Heart Is yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for Where the Heart Is yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on Where the Heart Is?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on Where the Heart Is.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for Where the Heart Is yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on Where the Heart IsNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…