Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

Year: 1990

Runtime: 107 mins

Language: English

Director: John Boorman

ComedyDrama

Stewart McBain is showing his kids a new side of life. The Outside. A wealthy businessman shows his young adult kids how tough life can be.

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Timeline & Setting – Where the Heart Is (1990)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Where the Heart Is (1990). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Dutch House, Stock Exchange, Cardboard Box Shanty Town, Homeless Shelter

The story centers on the Dutch House, a dilapidated estate that anchors the family’s fortunes and misfortunes in an urban landscape. The action moves between the city’s financial hub around the Stock Exchange and the stark realities of a cardboard box shanty town and a homeless shelter. These locations highlight the sharp contrast between wealth and ruination that drives the family’s arc.

🌆 Urban setting 🏚 Dilapidated Dutch House 🏦 Financial district 🗺 Shelter and street life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:32

Main Characters – Where the Heart Is (1990)

Meet the key characters of Where the Heart Is (1990), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Stewart McBain (Dabney Coleman)

A successful demolitions magnate whose wealth and swagger mask a brittle ego. His TV humiliation exposes a flawed pride, prompting him to reassess what truly matters. Facing ruin, he must confront his values and reconnect with his family.

💼 Wealth 💪 Determination 🧭 Redemption

Daphne McBain (Uma Thurman)

The eldest daughter, stylish and self-assured, who channels energy into branding and public image. Her pragmatism helps the family survive, even as she learns that responsibility and care are as important as ambition.

💃 Fashion 🧭 Resourceful

Chloe McBain (Suzy Amis)

The younger daughter who uses creativity to cope—designing a calendar and ethereal murals. She is imaginative and impulsive, catalyzing opportunities that blend art with practicality for the family’s survival.

🎨 Creativity 🧭 Imaginative

Jimmy McBain (David Hewlett)

The middle son whose stock trades contribute to the crash. He grapples with guilt and responsibility as the consequences ripple through their lives, becoming a catalyst for the family’s upheaval and eventual growth.

💥 Risk ⚖️ Accountability

Jean McBain (Joanna Cassidy)

The mother who fights to keep the family together, attempting to intervene during the Dutch House’s collapse. She embodies endurance and maternal concern, anchoring the emotional core of the upheaval.

🧭 Care 💔 Resilience

Lionel (Crispin Glover)

A fashion designer who drags the family into avant-garde projects, staging shows and pushing creative boundaries. His ambition tests the family’s stability, blending allure with risk.

🎨 Fashion 🧷 Eccentric

Shitty (Christopher Plummer)

A homeless magician whose roguish charm offers humor and humanity. He demonstrates that wisdom and wonder can emerge in unexpected places, challenging judgments about value and worth.

🎩 Magic 🧭 Mentor

Sheryl (Sheila Kelley)

An amateur occultist who injects countercultural insight into the household. Her practical optimism helps the family adapt to loss and find unconventional solutions.

🔮 Mystery 🧭 Supportive

Tom (Dylan Walsh)

A young stockbroker whose reckless actions contribute to the crash. He becomes a focal point for examining consequences, accountability, and the possibility of growth within a competitive world.

💼 Ambition 💥 Consequences

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:32

Major Themes – Where the Heart Is (1990)

Explore the central themes of Where the Heart Is (1990), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👪 Family Ties

Family relationships are stretched and redefined as wealth and pride collide with care and responsibility. The father’s success and the children's entitlement create tension that leads to estrangement and harsh lessons. The film tracks how love, forgiveness, and shared history gradually pull them back toward one another.

💹 Economic Collapse

A sudden stock market crash cripples McBain’s fortune and jeopardizes his business, setting off a domino effect that echoes through the Dutch House. The ensuing eviction forces the family into hardship and tests their resilience. The story uses economic collapse to expose character flaws and catalyze personal growth.

🎨 Art & Identity

Chloe’s calendar project and Lionel’s fashion show turn private space into public art, allowing the characters to explore identity beyond wealth. The mural walls and wearable designs become expressions of longing, creativity, and self-definition. Through art, the family negotiates fame, status, and belonging.

🌧️ Redemption

After losing their fortress of comfort, the family learns humility and how to live more simply. The father discovers new insight through hardship, while the children recognize the value of family over stuff. The conclusion sees the family recover wealth while gaining a deeper, more compassionate bond.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:32

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Where the Heart Is Summary

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Where the Heart Is Summary

Where the Heart Is Timeline

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Where the Heart Is Timeline

More About Where the Heart Is

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