Plot
In November 1963, Dallas housewife Lurene Hallett (Michelle Pfeiffer) is obsessed with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Lurene feels a special connection with Jackie through her own loss of a child. Knowing that President John F. Kennedy and his wife will be visiting Dallas, Lurene travels to Love Field Airport to try to catch a glimpse of the couple as they arrive by plane on November 22, 1963. Driving away a few hours later, she notices a quiet chaos developing, and discovers that the President has been assassinated. Lurene leaves her car in the middle of the street and rushes to watch the news through a store window. Lurene's anguish over the death of John F. Kennedy reflects the collective grief of the nation over this tragedy. Ignoring her overbearing husband Ray (Brian Kerwin), she travels by bus to attend the funeral in Washington, D.C. Much to the chagrin of the black patrons on the bus, Lurene talks constantly of the assassination during the bus ride. During her journey, she befriends Jonell (Stephanie McFadden), the young black daughter of Paul Cater (Dennis Haysbert). After the bus has an accident, Lurene notices wounds on Jonell's body. Lurene senses something is wrong, suspects Paul and calls the FBI to report that there has been a kidnapping. Moments after her well-intentioned interference, Paul explains that Jonell's wounds are from an orphanage that he rescued her from and he is indeed her real father. Nevertheless, Lurene's FBI call leads the three of them on an increasingly difficult road trip across America with both the police and Ray in pursuit. Over the course of the film Lurene and Paul develop a deep relationship, leading to a one-night roll in the hay (in a barn). The police eventually catch Paul and Lurene, and Paul is sentenced to a year in jail.
The movie then flashes forward to 1964 (as indicated by a Lyndon Johnson-Hubert Humphrey campaign poster attached to a tree) to show Lurene visiting Jonell in a foster home where she has been staying. It is evident that Lurene has been visiting Jonell regularly. In one scene, Lurene explains to Jonell that her father is coming back to take her home later that day. As Lurene leaves the group home, Paul arrives to pick up Jonell. The two stop to talk and Lurene informs Paul that she and Ray are divorced. Paul and Lurene hug and Lurene drives away. In the concluding scene of the film, Lurene turns her car around and rushes back into the group home to join Paul and Jonell.
Read more about this topic: Love Field (film)
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