Review of Norma Rae (1979) by Ben L — 26 Sep 2016

Norma Rae is a movie that does a lot to create moments and it certainly feels like it was built to earn the lead actress an Oscar nomination. I have some big problems with the structure of the film, though.

Why set up the death of Norma's father and literally never reference it again? Why make the biggest confrontation between Norma and the factory about a notice on the bulletin board, but then never show how that impacts the union's efforts? It's these kind of missed opportunities that I think hurt the overall story and kept Norma Rae from being a good film.

I did appreciate the way they handled her love life and kind of showed her past mistakes, and how she was making better decisions because of that. The camaraderie between Sally Field and Ron Leibman was great, and I'm glad it never devolved into a pointless affair that would have totally detracted from the story.

Again, I think Norma Rae is loaded with moments that could be significant, but fails to cash in on those moments. I never became emotionally engaged, and this could have been a very heartfelt story. I certainly didn't hate the movie, and would watch it again if someone asked, but I guarantee I won't be seeking it out.