The film explores the story of a young single mother and a textile worker who agrees to participate in trade union activities. This woman may have a new experience in her life in the hope of reforming working conditions despite the opposition of her family and employers everywhere.
The closure is consistent and satisfying, standing in opposition to conventional Hollywood happy endings: Norma Rae and Jewish labor leader part as equals, with a respectful handshake rather than embrace or kiss; both have benefited from the friendship
Norma Rae is a seriously concerned contemporary drama, illuminated by some very good performances and one, Miss Field's, that is spectacular.
7M Pictures
April 16, 2014
At its heart, Norma Rae isn't a button-wearing union film as much as it is a character study of one woman who is pushed to the point of doing something spectacular.
Photographed in murky yellows and browns by John Alonzo, this 1979 film is sluggish and vague, trivializing its subject in a wash of unearned sentimentality.
