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Movies / Upcoming / Norma Rae
Norma Rae

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Norma Rae (1979)

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Reviews Counted:19

Fresh:17

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.5/10

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: Set in the industrial South and based on a true story, Martin Ritt's NORMA RAE is a moving portrait of a woman's fight to improve both her own life and the deplorable conditions that exist in the... Set in the industrial South and based on a true story, Martin Ritt's NORMA RAE is a moving portrait of a woman's fight to improve both her own life and the deplorable conditions that exist in the mill where she works. Norma Rae (Sally Field) has worked at the textile mill for years, but when a union organizer from New York comes to town, Norma takes on the hostility of the mill's management and the apathy of her coworkers to try to unionize the mill. Field plays Norma Rae as a passionate woman who realizes her own potential and her need to rebel against the status quo. She is also infuriated by the conditions at the mill. When Norma, uneducated and poor, finally expresses her disgust with life at the mill, it is an electrifying moment, and Field radiates this energy for the rest of the film, providing an emotional core and drive that gives the picture its power. [More]

Starring: Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle

Starring: Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle, Barbara Baxley, Gail Strickland, Morgan Paull, John Calvin, Booth Colman, Bob Minor, Grace Zabriskie

Director: Martin Ritt

Director: Martin Ritt
Screenwriter: Irving Ravetch, Frank Harriet,
Producer: Tamara Asseyev, Alexandra Rose
Composer: David Shire

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Norma Rae

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1 - 19 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Sally Field won her first Oscar playing union activist Norma Rae.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/23/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Photographed in murky yellows and browns by John Alonzo, this 1979 film is sluggish and vague, trivializing its subject in a wash of unearned sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
01/11/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Sally Field won her first Oscar for her performance in the title role, a complex portrayal of an working-class southern woman.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/11/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Norma Rae is that rare entity, an intelligent film with heart.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/11/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/17/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

A beautifully made, splendidly acted film that more than achieves its aims.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
09/19/07
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The closure is consistent and satisfying, standing in opposition to conventional Hollywood happy endings: Norma Rae and Jewish labor leader part as equals, with a respectful handshake rather than embrace or kiss; both have benefited from the friendship

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
09/14/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Does it get any better than Sally Field?

comment Comment
03/11/06
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

Nicely performed by a strong cast, especially Field and Leibman, it's often mawkishly soft, but surprisingly touching.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/05/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
11/19/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Harrowing union vs corporation film has Oscar winning Field.

comment Comment
10/30/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

No review available.

comment Comment
01/04/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Norma Rae is a seriously concerned contemporary drama, illuminated by some very good performances and one, Miss Field's, that is spectacular.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/21/03
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
12/16/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

This inspiring movie really connects with our emotions. . . . Sally Field has the meatiest role of her career.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/26/01
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Sally Field made us like her, really like her, as the scrappy, titular star of this unionization drama.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
 
 
1 - 19 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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