My review of "North Country"

[E-Dog Night]

The directing was pretty good and so was the acting. Many of the panoramic shots of the scenery gave me a terrific sense of what it must be like to live in a mining community up north. And they got the details right too -- great framing of shots throughout.

It's just that the movie was so incredibly shameless in its desperate attempt to tug at my heart strings that it irritated me. At the end it seemed like the idea was to beat the audience over the head with the idea that men are pigs, especially men in the male-dominated mining industry in Northern Minnesota.

Duh. Tell us something we don't know.

There were a few scenes I remembered well after leaving. When Josie's (Charlize Theron's) son talks about how much he hates his mom because he had been hearing all the towns folk talk about how she is a whore, well that kind of got to me, even if I knew it was supposed to get to me. It was just a well executed scene. I couldn't help but feel like I wanted to talk some sense into the kid.

But the thing that left a bitter taste in my mouth was the ending courtroom drama. It was ridiculous. Stuff like that NEVER happens in a real court! Anyone with half a brain who has ever been in a real courtroom knows that people from the audience are not allowed to testify! And people cannot join a class action suit simply by standing up during a cross examination!

In the end I felt a bit insulted, both by the obvious inaccuracies of how trials work, and by the relentless tear-jerking nature of the film. The male characters were caricatures of the most stereotypical archetype possible. If the film had kept its focus a bit more on the legal aspects of sexual harassment and toned down – just a bit -- the pummeling of the idea that we are supposed to feel sympathy for the main character, it would have come off much better in my opinion.

In the end, I give it one thumb sideways. It's a good movie to rent & watch with your girlfriend after a fight. After watching this movie, she will fell lucky to have a guy like you, assuming you aren't a chauvinistic, close-minded, Minnesotan miner.

[iheartskins]

Just from reading your review, I can tell that this movie would annoy me, notwithstanding however good the cinematography and acting is. The absurdity of the courtroom scene, as you've described it, undermines the entire premise. Too bad.

It's a shame that Hollywood doesn't realize that subtelty can go a long way.

[E-Dog Night]

Just from reading your review, I can tell that this movie would annoy me, notwithstanding however good the cinematography and acting is. The absurdity of the courtroom scene, as you've described it, undermines the entire premise. Too bad.

It's a shame that Hollywood doesn't realize that subtelty can go a long way.

Have I mentioned lately that I hate your sig?

How long do you have to carry that thing around?

As far as subtlety goes: Unfortunately, that's not a concept Hollywood espouses. And why would they? Half the country couldn't define the word if they heard it used in a sentence.

[iheartskins]

Have I mentioned lately that I hate your sig?

How long do you have to carry that thing around?

Until the Eagles game. Sadly.

As far as subtlety goes: Unfortunately, that's not a concept Hollywood espouses. And why would they? Half the country couldn't define the word if they heard it used in a sentence.

Another example of this was the way Scorsese used the fact that Howard Hughes's mother made him crazy about germs. I understood the nerouses immediately and didn't need to be continually reminded of the origin as Hughes would languish into another episode of his phobia.

[DeanCollins]

Until the Eagles game. Sadly.

what? did you lose a bet? :laugh:

[codeorama]

Here's the truth, if the courtroom scene was like real life, it would be very boring and no one would want to see it. That's a fact.

Thanks for the review, I think I'll pass....

[DeanCollins]

Oh yea, nice review E-dog. That courtroom scence you were refering to, is typical hollywood "town hall". reminds me of the movie about the woman who rallied the community in the Love canal neighborhood.

[carlsbadd]

Chick fFlick alert if I ever heard one. Thanks for the review I knew I was going to pass on this movie just from the reviews, it's to bad they could have made something good out of it.

For those who don't know there are many of us that lost a sig bet to TOM our resident Giants poster. I was one of them.

:doh: