SummaryInspired by a true story, North Country follows a woman's journey on a road that will take her farther than she ever imagined, ultimately inspiring countless others, and leading to the nation's first-ever class action lawsuit for sexual harassment. (Warner Bros.)
Directed By:Niki Caro
Written By:Michael Seitzman, Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy
North Country
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
79% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
21% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
After "Monster," here is another extraordinary role from an actress [Theron] who has the beauty of a fashion model but has found resources within herself for these powerful roles about unglamorous women in the world of men.
80
An engrossing, well-crafted story of a grave injustice avenged, hitting all the right notes of sympathy, outrage and, finally, relief.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
73% Positive
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
12% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
14% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Jun 3, 2015
10
Sexual harassment wasn't a concern in the work place until 1984, when the first class action sexual harassment lawsuit was brought against the owners of a mine in Minnesota. This is the story told in the award winning film, North Country, which graphically shows the horrors these women had to face at work on a daily basis. Charlize Theron was amazing, portraying Josey Aimes, the woman who finally stood up and said enough is enough. Theron is the kind of actress who is usually overlooked because of the roles she takes. I had a difficult time judging what kind of an actress she really was until seeing her in the role of a lifetime. Portraying Aimes as realistically as possible, Theron really made the audience feel the struggle of a single mother, having to take a difficult job, just to put food on the table. We see how the harassment at work effected every aspect of her life and it actually changed my view on sexual harassment. As harsh as it sounds, I always viewed sexual harassment as a law created by people who were too serious and couldn't take a joke, but the story of Josey Aimes is no joke. No person, male or female, of any color, race, or sexuality, should ever have to face even half of what Aimes had to go through. This example is how you know that North Country is one amazing film, because any movie that can change a persons opinion on a subject, is worth it's weight in gold. Theron isn't the only gem in this film, as France McDormand also received an Oscar nomination for her role as a co-worker suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. I also thought that Woody Harrelson deserved recognition for his portrayal of the attorney who represented the women. In 1984, there had never been a case like this, and for him to go out on a limb for something like this was truly special, and its reflected in his performance. From top to bottom this film is very solid, the cast is terrific, and the story is a historically accurate portrayal of sadly, a much overlooked moment in American judicial history. North Country is the kind of film that I truly believe every child should see before entering the work force for the first time. It is that powerful and also earns a spot on our list of must see movies!
Nov 6, 2011
8
This film is beautiful contrast. It's majestic overhead shots fade into the grim and dirty mines, where our female stars struggle against the males and their horrible treatment. Actors are great and really show us a range of emotion. It is a story that needs to be told and I am glad it is a film. There could have been a little more for some of the male miners, for sadly they are all the same horrible man, but perhaps that was on purpose?
75
Richard Jenkins gives the standout supporting performance, worthy of Oscar consideration, as Josey's father, a miner unable to conceal his anger at his daughter for having a child out of wedlock and, now, creating dissension at his workplace.
70
But the contrast between setting and story isn't all that bars North Country from fulfillment. The major trouble is Theron. She plays Josey as well as is needed, but she is simply too beautiful.
67
At best, North Country just inspires you to read the book.
60
To see this overly schematic movie, is to be made to feel -- inaccurately as it turns out -- that the whole thing is a hopelessly exaggerated fabrication. The taint of the melodramatic techniques used in key segments infects the entire movie and makes us question the truth of a significant historical reality.
40
A long, slow slog through what could have been, and should have been, a more absorbing story.
Aug 24, 2018
7
This film addresses the first case of success in which a group of female workers won the firm in court in a class action of harassment and sexual discrimination. Everything happens in the mines of Minnesota but, over a real case, director Niki Caro and screenwriter Michael Seitzman decided to create a deeply melodramatic story centered on the figure of a young woman, mother of two children from different parents and with a past marred by **** and a bad marriage. She becomes the main target of the jokes, obscene gestures and provocations of the miners, who feel that women are stealing jobs from men. The story is very emotional but works well anyway. An interesting point is that, even when things are tense, the two sides are not defined by their sex, that is, even in those moments there are women who are not in favor of complaining, just as there are men who don't approve of the rude and coarse attitudes of their fellows. This allows the public to understand that the issue is not men vs. women, goes far beyond mere sexism. Charlize Theron is a good actress but seems visually too young for the character sometimes. Anyway, she managed to shine. Richard Jenkins has been OK but acts in a predictable way. Frances McDormand did very well, especially in the final half of the movie, where she really shows talent. Jeremy Renner manages to be truly despicable as the villain. Technically regular, it's a good movie and it deserves to be watched.
Mar 24, 2011
2
The movie is terribly contrived. The story is great. The movie was not so great. And I believe it had a lot to do with the poor direction. It was a good story that would have better been told in the hands of another director. To see what Francis Ford Coppola did with Rainmaker and then to watch this movie is about how the entire Mining company would have felt at the end of the trial: utter disappointment. The court scenes were a mess. The acting was good but I couldn't pay attention to it because I was so lost by the direction on the movie. Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brokovich was much better than this movie. Though important to the storyline, the fecal, scatological, crass and disgusting behaviour by the Male miners was used as a crutch by Caro. She simply leaned on it too much. It would have been move rewarding to give the viewer more depth rather than lean on the Male behaviour in the the mines. We are not all moved by scat. A touch of real human emotion would have told much more than a prolonged scene with a **** At the end of the movie I still couldn't really feel for Josey Aimes and not due in any part to the real life woman, Lois Jensen, or the acting by Charlize Theron, who was great. It was Caro's inability to focus on what mattered in the story. What was contrived? Josey's relationship with her father, lawyer and children, mostly. Though most interaction between the protagonist and Glory made me sick, sicker than the virtually ubiquitous smut. This movie SHOULD HAVE been more absorbing. And the ending...just like my own review's ending...plop.
Production Company:
- Warner Bros.
- Industry Entertainment
- Participant
- Maniac Productions
- Nick Wechsler Productions
Release Date:Oct 14, 2005
Duration:2 h 6 m
Rating:R
Tagline:All She Wanted Was To Make A Living. Instead She Made History.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
