''Bless Their Little Hearts'' is a 1984 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

produced and directed by Billy Woodberry, starring Nate Hardman and Kaycee Moore. It was shot and written by Charles Burnett. The film had a limited theatrical release: it played for a week at the Royal in West Los Angeles and also at the Film Forum in New York. In 2013, the film was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2019, it was released on Home Video in a 2K restoration by Milestone Films.

Plot summary

Unemployed, depressed and running out of options for supporting his wife and three children, Charlie Banks (Nate Hardman) is just barely eking out a living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts in the early 1980s. His wife, Andais ( Kaycee Moore), accuses him of irresponsibility, and even of cheating on her, an allegation that isn't true until Charlie decides it may as well be. Charlie's friends try their best to help him get by, but their well-intentioned plans don't always pan out as he struggles to find dignity and a meaning for life.

Cast

* Nate Hardman as Charlie Banks * Kaycee Moore as Andais Banks * Angela Burnett as Banks Child * Ronald Burnett as Banks Child * Kimberly Burnett as Banks Child * Langston Woodberry as mistress' son

Critical response

Review aggregator website

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gives the film an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 18 critics. At the time of its release,

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' concluded his review with " he filmis so understated that at times it seems diffident, as if it were too shy to display its fury in more robust terms. This, however, is the style of the film that Mr. Woodberry, Mr. Burnett and their splendid cast, headed by Mr. Hardman and Miss Moore, have chosen to make, and it works beautifully."

References

External links

* * * *
''Bless Their Little Hearts'' at UCLA Film & Television Archive ("L.A. Rebellion")
* Interview: Billy Woodberry on Bless Their Little Hearts by Steve Macfarlane and Madeline Coleman in Filmmaker Magazine, May 25, 201

{{Charles Burnett 1984 films 1984 drama films 1980s English-language films American black-and-white films American drama films United States National Film Registry films 1980s American films English-language drama films