America's Heart & Soul
2004
Action / Documentary
America's Heart & Soul
2004
Action / Documentary
5.1/10
730
Plot summary
Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg hits the road to capture America's people and its natural beauty. sea to shining sea, from amber waves of grain to purple mountain majesties, it's not merely the land that makes America beautiful -- it's her people. Captured with stunning cinematography, AMERICA'S HEART & SOUL takes you on a journey that weaves across this great nation, revealing a rich tapestry of ordinary people living extraordinary lives as they follow their dreams with the freedom of spirit that's uniquely American. From the Vermont dairy farmer, to the blind mountain climber, to the father and son marathon runners, their inspiring stories are as different as can be -- passionate, colorful, courageous, funny, touching.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
Movie Reviews
A glowing film about the best of American life.
Blind patriotism is just as dangerous as No patriotism.
Obviously this film was made to counter the negative criticism of Michael Moore's films and any sort of criticism of America. Ideally, a documentary about America should be balanced. It should talk about the positive aspects as well as the negative aspects, but these days, everyone is polarized either to the positive or the negative, depending on which political team you're rooting for this election year. Go team go!
Personally, I find this film to be nothing more than a recruiting film for cheap foreign labor to enter the USA, legally or not, as well as a reminder that you shouldn't question America's actions, no matter what it does. What about the other free countries out there? Canada allows gay marriage, The UK has lower driving ages, lower alcohol consumption ages, and lower legal sex ages. The Netherlands permit limited marijuana use. Those countries have more freedom than the United States. Just because America pioneered democracy doesn't mean it's the best at embracing it. Just because America has the most money, doesn't mean it's the most loveable country. When taking this into account, all the flag waving means nothing more than rooting for your home team.
As an American, having no patriotism means stating that America and all its inhabitants are a negative aspect in this world, and leaving it vulneraable to enemy attack. Michael Moore and other American liberals, although critical, don't go this far, but the blindly patriotic assume so because they can't stand any criticism of their home team.
Being blindly patriotic means to love America no matter what it does. If America did something evil, the most patriotic citizens would cling to it as the right thing to do. This is dangerous. The Nazis were patriotic to their country in the 1930s. Plus, the inability to criticize means never improving, even if other nations surpass you over time, which is precisely what happened to America. Now other countries are advancing faster than us because the cowboys are still riding the same dead horses.
People should be equally critical as they are patriotic, and as patriotic as they are critical. Without balance, there is fanaticism. This film encourages fanaticism.
3/10