Load of rubbish!!

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Still fresh from directing the critical acclaimed and box office hit, "Kramer vs. Kramer" ('79), in which he won the Academy Award for Best Director, plus four other more Oscars (including Best Film of the Year) for a total of nine nominations, the filmmaker Robert Benton, after the very good, but not as well succeed, "Still of the Night" ('82), started to develop a more intimate film, based on his own experiences growing up in Waxahachie, Texas during the Era of the Great Depression.The year is 1935. The Spalding family, consisting of Royce, the local sheriff (Ray Baker), his devoted wife, Edna (Sally Field) and their two little kids, Frank (Yankton Hatten) & Possum (Gennie James), live in a small, segregated town in the midst of the Depression. When Royce is killed by accident, Edna is left alone with their kids to raise and the family farm to mantain while the bank is starting to pressures her to sell it, because without her husband's salary, she can't afford to make the loan payments. Fighting back to sustain her family and home, Edna joins an african-american drifter called Moses (Danny Glover) and her new tenant, Mr. Will (John Malkovich), to plant cotton on all her acres to survive the Depression, but it's a task that will not be easy to succeed...It's noticeable how Robert Benton gave his whole heart to the movie: the tenderness, dreamlike realism and nostalgic factor of his own screenplay; the assertive direction of a melodrama without being too corny or overly sentimental and the use of an absolutely beautiful photography, captured by Néstor Almendros' camera.The less good part, is that the film drifts itself from the main plot when it starts to give too much relevance to the sub-plots from side characters such as the love triangle between Edna's brother in law, Wayne Lomax (Ed Harris), married to Edna's sister, Margaret (Lindsay Crouse), a hairdresser and the town's teacher, Viola Kelsey (Amy Madigan), married to a good hearted businessman, Buddy (Terry O'Quinn), which that went nowhere, throwing the movie into almost the 'soap opera' territory.Despite that, the ensemble cast delivers superb performances: the real life couple, Amy Madigan & Ed Harris always display great on-screen chemistry; Lindsay Crouse scored her only Oscar nominated performance here as the affable sister, however cheated wife; John Malkovich, also Oscar nominated, is very good as the blind, but literate & helpful, Mr. Will. Maybe if he had more scenes, probably could have won the Academy Award, but instead his co-star Haing S. Ngor from "The Killing Fields" was awarded, anyway the prize went to good hands that year.Danny Glover, in one of his first significant roles, plays the token black man with a sense of dignity and gravitas within his performance. It opened the doors for him being cast one year later in Lawrence Kasdan's "Silverado" ('85), playing one of the major parts and Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" ('85), in which he played the complete opposite of his more sympathetic turns. Glover deserved to be recognized for his role in "Places in the Heart" as much as his fellow colleagues, the two nominated supporting actors, Malkovich and Crouse.Last, but not the least, Sally Field, won her second Oscar here (after she won for "Norma Rae" back in '80), in a brave performance playing the central role of Edna Spalding, the persevering young widow, determined to sustain her children and to survive working in a men's world and in a town that is in an one step to poverty.In short, "Places in the Heart" is a memorable and affectionate 'period piece' of Americana, Robert Benton's most personal and devoted project (hence the movie's title) and also one of his best directed films. Sadly, the director took the wrong route for his next two movies, only redeeming himself with "Nobody's Fool" ('94), in which he got another Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as his star, the legendary Paul Newman, for Best Actor in Leading Role.

Greetings from Lithuania."Places in the Heart" (1984) is very enjoyable and great movie. The story is about a woman's struggles to save and run her farm 1930's USA's south. Sript is very good here and involving from start till finish. If the story itself kinda feels a bit manipulative here and there, it's not overwritten and not to soft, there are some moving moments.Acting is superb by all involved. Sally Field who won Oscar for her part in this movie is amazing, you really feel that she is out there. Other actors including Ed Harris, Danny Glover and especially John Malkovich are very solid. There is also a big subplot involving an affair of Ed Harris character. The very last scene of this movie isn't straightforward as the rest of the movie, and can seem a bit confusing, but i guess what they wanted to tell that it's all about forgiveness.Overall, "Places in the Heart" is superb drama. Acting, directing, script, pacing - it's all clicks here, and watching this movie more than 30 years after it's original release one can admire it's craftsmanship.

We have enjoyed this movie a couple of times. My father in law has always maintained you don't need to watch a movie more than once. I say bunkum to that. As a projectionist for one of our Universities in Sydney, Australia, back in the mid to late seventies - I always learned something or saw something I had not noticed before as I ran many movies over and over. Each time seeing something I missed before. Places in The Heart is one such movie. So many of the reviewers have widely covered the many aspects of Places. Each review I have read (and as at 26th October, 2012, I have read them all) - in a lot of cases bring up another aspect not covered before by others. I just wanted to maybe round them all up and add a comment on my part as well. I agree with one reviewer that kind of alluded to how close Sally Field's role in "Places" reflected her LIVE struggle for recognition on the screen. I also agree with some reviewers note of the out right hypocrisy being portrayed by all these "nice" people in the daytime to be members of the hateful, violent "Klan" at night.I loved the young man who portrayed Frank and what a good son being willing to take his "licking" as he would have done when his dad was to punish him. I would like to look for more roles the young actor plays. The one who played Possum was good also. Regarding the insertion of the "extra-marital" goings on..i wonder if this was done to reach a bigger audience with a more Mature kind of Rating..PG here in Australia. But as another reviewer stated 'it might have given the audience more time to finish their pop corn and soda.' Hmm. I am glad someone brought up the answer another looked for about the passage of Scripture towards the end. I will add it at the end of this Review. I must say I thought, as a musician that likes bright, rousing hymn singing - the hymns were more like a dirge...harmonious but SO slllllow it's a wonder people didn't go to sleep. These days I am familiar with most American rendition of hymns being the opposite in always done very fast and breath-takingly. I enjoyed all the actors in the movie Sally Field, Danny Glover, John Malkovich being one of his earlier movies on reflection as I have seen him much later in Man In The Iron Mask and most recently in "Empire of the Sun" I thoroughly recommend the movie to everyone. The passage of Scripture to be preached in the last scene -one of the reviewers was asking about follows. It is from the King James Version of the Bible.1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing.1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,1 Corinthians 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;1 Corinthians 13:7 Beareth all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.1 Corinthians 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. What an appropriate scripture for this type of movie and all it portrays.

I was sad to find I didn't love this as much as I had remembered from its release nearly 30 years ago. The acting is terrific, and the film looks great. But the main plot has elements of familiar melodramatic clichés that bugged me more now in a way they didn't in 1984. The race to save the farm, and the 'we'll do it despite the odds!' dialogue felt a little too Hollywood this time around, as did the 'perfect' gallery of downtrodden, oppressed outsiders (the single mother, the African-American, the blind man). At the same time, the subplot of the romantic triangle between Ed Harris, Lindsay Crouse and Amy Madigan, while wonderfully acted, really seemed to have very little at all to do with the rest of the film. That said, all the acting (Sally Field, Danny Glover, John Malcovich) is terrific, and the details of time and place are rich and vivid is slightly (intentionally) softened by the haze of the passing years (Benton grew up in the town where the story takes place). And that wonderful long last shot, which gives the whole film a larger context, is still a powerful and brave way to end a story.