Norma Rae

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Norma Rae

PG

1979

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae (Sally Field) works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben (Ron Leibman), Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny (Beau Bridges), and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.

Critics Consensus

Spearheaded by a galvanizing Sally Field, Norma Rae is a heartening and politically powerful drama about an ordinary woman taking an extraordinary stand.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Aug 11, 2022

A bona-fide folk heroine.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Mar 4, 2019

As a rule, the filmmakers manufacture fake climaxes every 10 or 15 minutes, poop out and lapse into forgetfulness, just as if they were structuring the material for television.

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Judith Martin

Washington Post

Feb 6, 2018

It's a dear and corny story, played with lovable grubbiness by Sally Field and Ron Leibman, but it's not about what you think.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Apr 27, 2023

3.5/4

...a deliberately-paced drama that grows more and more compelling as it unfolds...

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Jan 31, 2022

I can't get over how loud Norma Rae is...but that loudness is the point, as it underscores the working conditions of the overworked and underpaid laborers in the film.

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Michael Ventura

L.A. Weekly

Nov 5, 2021

Best of all is Sally Field -- this may be her finest performance, the most exuberant and the most intelligent. She'll get an Academy nomination next year if there's any justice. Hyperbole aside: this is simply a good film.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 28, 2026

Norma Rae is a *4* star Movie why would anybody give this a .5 star rating???

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Jun 16, 2026

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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Brian F.

@FedUpDVDCollector Dec 29, 2025

Inspiring origin story of Forest Gump’s mama. I’m sure they were just sticking to the source material but Jef… I mean Beau Bridges’ character could’ve been completely cut. The run in with her children’s father was a laugher too.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 Dec 13, 2025

A union film that focuses less on industrial action and more on the compelling character development of the leading couple, non couple, should be couple. It’s a great non romance story tinged with a beautiful romance. Really enjoyed this and think it was a deserving best picture nominee. Why don’t we make films like this any more? Watched on DVD.

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Mike P

@RT09890132 Jun 29, 2025

The Erin Brockovich of its generation; a fertile piece of 70s lefty agitprop and docudrama based on the life of North Carolina factory and textiles worker Crystal Lee Sutton, (name changed for the movie)...And charting her hugely successful attempts to start a union-movement there...And what that all meant for her, for North Carolina, for the country. Martin Ritt directs a modest, 70s/soft-focus, earnest, Stanley Kramerish message movie...Fiercely felt by all the performers involved; and sparked by a terrific performance by Sally Field at the center of it; for which she won the Oscar. Overall this is solid stuff; including even the haunting theme song "It Goes Like it Goes" by Jennifer Warnes, which also won the Oscar. Recommended. 👍

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Gertrude F

@RT21740944 Apr 23, 2024

The defining strength of this film is the fantastic performances by the entire cast but most notably Sally Field who completely transformed into Norma and delivered a intensely impactful performance. Rob Liebman was also perfectly cast. I could feel that the focus of the director was the story, a story that's just brilliantly built and executed. The ending was also amazing, cleverly using the song "it goes like it goes" from the beginning once again.

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Martin Ritt

Director

Sally Field

Norma Rae

Ron Leibman

Reuben

Beau Bridges

Sonny

Pat Hingle

Vernon

Barbara Baxley

Leona

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Synopsis

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae (Sally Field) works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben (Ron Leibman), Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny (Beau Bridges), and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.

Director: Martin Ritt
Producer: Tamara Asseyev, Alexandra Rose
Screenwriter: Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr.
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2020
Runtime: 1h 53m

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