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Parents Television
Council Reviews
PTC reviews aim to provide you with advance information about an entertainment offering so that you can be the final arbiter of what you and your family see.
 America's
Heart and Soul
By
Elizabeth Palik
Release Date:
July 2, 2004
Genre:
Documentary
MPAA Rating: PG
PTC Says:
America's Heart and Soul
comes at a time when America is desperately in need of an awe-inspiring,
uplifting movie. It features a series of vignettes showing people from all
walks of life from all across America talking about their experiences and
dreams. More of a documentary than a narrative, the film has no beginning,
middle, or end; it stands on its own as pure elemental celebration of the people
that make up this great country. America's Heart and Soul reminds us of
the values, the feeling of community, and the hardworking individuals striving
to keep their dream alive that form the foundation our country is built upon.
 Think
about this. What kind of people should be featured in a movie such as
America's Heart and Soul? Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg said that he wanted
to "honor ordinary Americans who were extraordinary in their everyday lives."
The people you see in the movie might not have the looks or the money of the
celebrities that you see on television but they share in the American dream,
nonetheless. The individuals featured in America's Heart and Soul only
care about their work, their play and their families. They make music together,
dance and sing together and they work hard to fulfill their passions and to feed
their families.
America's Heart and Soul
is a great film for the entire family. In fact, given the proliferation of sex,
materialism, and celebrity in the youth culture of America, this is a movie
parents should take their children to see. Not only does the film serve as a
reminder of the kind of values that made American strong, it also shows kids
that you don't have to be a stick thin swimsuit model or have a million dollars
for people to admire you. It really puts the world back into the right
perspective from the distorted and surreal image presented by the media.
America's Heart and Soul
is the ultimate reality show. There is Mark Roach, the
hardworking steel worker who fears losing his job because he needs to pay for
his daughter's brain surgeries. Then there is George Woodard, the Vermont dairy
farmer who is also a filmmaker, actor, and songwriter. From New York City bike
messengers dodging traffic, to New Orleans jazz musicians, to Colorado explosive
artists, you will see the great variations in the myriad of different cultures
that make America the cultural melting pot it is. Whoever said that America has
no culture outside of McDonald's has to watch this movie and then proceed to eat
his words with his McDonald's fries.
Make America's Heart and Soul compulsory
viewing for your family. The beautiful cinematography and the great stories of
the people in the film will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love the
people around you a little more.
Watch the trailer
Family Movie Reviews
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