Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring, intense tale about hardship, bigotry, redemption.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Places in the Heart
What's the Story?
When her husband is unexpectedly killed, Edna Spalding (Sally Field ) must deal with her profound grief, sudden full responsibility for her two children, and the realities of poverty in the midst of the Depression of the mid-1930s. PLACES IN THE HEART takes the previously sheltered Edna on an astonishing journey toward independence, maturity, and self-reliance. Her reconstituted Texas family, which includes an itinerant African-American thief and an embittered blind victim of The Great War, join in her struggle to save her home and her ideals from greedy business interests, natural disaster, and prejudice.
Is It Any Good?
Nominated for seven Academy Awards (with wins for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay), this film has a heartfelt story and insightful messages about compassion, integrity, and perseverance. In addition to Sally Fields' strong, nuanced performance as Edna, writer/director Robert Benton has created a tapestry of richly-defined characters in the community around her. Places in the Heart's standout performances are delivered by Lindsay Crouse, Danny Glover, John Malkovich, Ed Harris, and Amy Madigan. Seeing this sincere recreation of Mr. Benton's hometown and its people during the challenging Depression era will likely be an enlightening and moving experience for older kids, teens, and their families.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the unique nature of Edna's "new" family in Places in the Heart. How does that reflect the variety of family structures in the United States today?
Use Edna's experience with the bank and Moze's encounters with the cotton merchant as examples of prejudices against both women and racial minorities. How much has changed since the events in this movie? Do you think we have further to go? .Why?
Did the film's ending have a major impact on you? What do you think the filmmaker's intention was? What did they want you to take away from this movie?
How do the characters in Places in the Heart demonstrate compassion, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 21, 1984
- On DVD or streaming : October 9, 2001
- Cast : Sally Field , Danny Glover , John Malkovich
- Director : Robert Benton
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : TriStar Pictures
- Genre : Drama
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 111 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Award : Academy Award
- Last updated : December 5, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate