When Bait Attacks
NORTH COUNTRY
by Shawn Snead / October 25th, 2005
I feel like I need a shower after watching this.
And that's a damn shame.
North Country is a very frustrating film. A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States, the film follows Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron), a struggling mother of two who becomes a miner to support her family. Josey and her female co-workers (including Frances McDormand and Michelle Monaghan) are immediately met with varying degrees of sexual harassment and intimidation. At the insistence of her co-workers afraid of losing their jobs, Josey keeps quiet about the cruelty - until it turns violent. She then enlists a lawyer acquaintance (Woody Harrelson) to take action and sue the mining company.
It has all the makings of a compelling drama. However, what we get is a manipulative, melodramatic mess. Outstanding performances by everyone involved and some gorgeous cinematography is wasted in this simplistic, nuance-free film.
Underneath the surface of North Country, you find nothing. It has a good message; sexual harassment in bad. And, that's it. The film is cut up into bite-size superficial Oscar moments, without a shred of subtlety, or complexity. It has the grace of a Lifetime TV movie.
I still manage to give this film a higher rating than it sounds like I am, mostly for the aforementioned acting. Theron is amazing here, and will probably grab her second Oscar nomination. She brings intensity and conviction into the film. Woody Harrelson delivers a very strong, subtle performance. And, Richard Jenkins and Sissy Spacek, playing Josey's parents, are also wonderful.
The problems lie in the screenplay, and Caro's direction. The storytelling and manufacturing. Where a movie starts and ends at. Unfortunately, North Country never got its feet off the ground.
-----
Warner Bros.
Running Time: 2 Hours, 6 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sequences involving sexual harassment including violence and dialogue, and for language.
Release Date: Friday, October 21st, 2005
Viewed: Tuesday, October 25th, 2005
Starring Charlize Theron (Josey Aimes), Elle Peterson (Karen Aimes), Thomas Curtis (Sammy Aimes), Frances McDormand (Glory), Sean Bean (Kyle), Woody Harrelson (Bill White), Jeremy Renner (Bobby Sharp), Richard Jenkins (Hank Aimes), Sissy Spacek (Alice Aimes)
Produced By Nana Greenwald, Jeff Skoll, Nick Wechsler
Written By Michael Seitzman (Based on the book by Clara Bingham & Laura Leedy)
Directed By Niki Caro
posted by Shawn Snead @ 10/26/2005 03:08:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home