Clara's Heart

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Clara's Heart

PG-13

1988

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

58%

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1,000+ Ratings

After her baby daughter dies, Leona Hart (Kathleen Quinlan) goes to Jamaica to mourn. She meets no-nonsense housekeeper Clara (Whoopi Goldberg) and brings her back to Baltimore to look after her son, David (Neil Patrick Harris). As Leona and husband, Bill (Michael Ontkean), grow apart and divorce, Clara and David become closer. Clara helps draw troubled David out of his shell, bringing him into the local reggae scene. As they bond, Clara gains the courage to confront her troubled past.

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Peter Travers

People Magazine

07/16/2020

Clara's Heart is just awful.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

07/16/2020

The surprises may not come quite often enough for some, but at all times there is Goldberg's glowing performance to keep us fascinated, or a nice salty bit of humor, or a great little character riff by Harris that's completely endearing.

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Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

Buoyed by a beautifully measured star turn by Whoopi Goldberg and a smashing screen debut for young Neil Patrick Harris, Clara's Dream is a powerful, unabashedly sentimental drama.

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Herb Boyd

The Crisis

11/14/2023

Boredom is the thing you'll have to endure if you follow Clara's Heart to its almost teary conclusion.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

08/22/2020

2.5/4

The darker and far-flung aspects of the story are icky and unnecessary. But the relationship between Clara and David is beautifully delineated.

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Robin Karney

Radio Times

07/16/2020

3/5

Goldberg is on top form, doing her Jamaican accent shtick.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jul 27

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Jeff M

@jeffmarshallmovieblogger 02/11/2024

Director Robert Mulligan has the distinction of being the only director to have a film on my TOP FIVE of all time and a film on my BOTTOM FIVE of all time. It baffles me that the same man who made TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is responsible for this utter sanctimonious nonsense. From its treacly piano score to it's stilted dialogue and performances to its "shocking" revelations that make your average Lifetime movie seem subtle by comparison, this is an absolute mess and is solely responsible for making me hate Neil Patrick Harris for the first half of his career. There's not a genuine moment in its entire running time, and I'm sure this is tucked away toward the bottom of the resumes of everyone involved. Oi vey!

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03/02/2021

Of all the movies I've ever seen over the course of five decades, this was THE. ABSOLUTE. WORST. OF. THEM. ALL. It was predicable while trying to be emotionally manipulative, and I utterly hated it.

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steve d

@RT35616104 07/12/2020

Incompetent besides the performances.

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10/10/2019

Heartwarming and memorable. Very underrated.

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03/27/2014

A very touching, moving story about relationships. Some relationships in this movie are healthy; some are verging on divorce. either ay, Neil Patrick Harris' first movie role is one he will be defined by, and he surely set the bar high for himself.

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Robert Mulligan

Director

Whoopi Goldberg

Clara Mayfield

Michael Ontkean

Bill Hart

Kathleen Quinlan

Leona Hart

Neil Patrick Harris

David Hart

Spalding Gray

Peter Epstein

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Synopsis

After her baby daughter dies, Leona Hart (Kathleen Quinlan) goes to Jamaica to mourn. She meets no-nonsense housekeeper Clara (Whoopi Goldberg) and brings her back to Baltimore to look after her son, David (Neil Patrick Harris). As Leona and husband, Bill (Michael Ontkean), grow apart and divorce, Clara and David become closer. Clara helps draw troubled David out of his shell, bringing him into the local reggae scene. As they bond, Clara gains the courage to confront her troubled past.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Producer: Martin Elfand
Screenwriter: Mark Medoff
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts, MTM Enterprises
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 1988, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.5M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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