The problem with "women's movies" is this: Too often, they make you think that the world out there belongs to men. Otherwise, how could they keep painting the same old pictures of women struggling to gain self-respect, raise children, find true love, bond witheach other, etc.? In the real world, women may ride the space shuttle, but in the movies, they're still fighting the time-honored battles for love and security. Battles that will, according to Hollywood, end in a big, romantic wedding. "Where the Heart Is" is that type of "women's movie," which probably accounts for the discomfort (and certain level of depression) of sitting through it.
"Where the Heart Is" is directed by Matt Williams and stars some of the most talented women in the industry: Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing. They are however, stuck in the well-worn modes of loving, caring, self-exploring soulfulness and . . . well, as my friend Tammy always says, "Hello? This is the 21st century, OK?"
I mean, take "Cast Away," which opened at about the same time as "Where the Heart Is." In it, Tom Hanks spends four years on a desert island with a volleyball to keep him company just so the story can address heavy issues like the downside of globalization and IT dictatorship (about time, too). Women in cinema don't get to do these things because they're too busy in their quest for THE RING and THE BABY and . . . you get the point.