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.  

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