Opening

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—— A Green Story
—— Alyce Kills May 24

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Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31

North Country (2005)

tomatometer

68

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 167
Fresh: 114 | Rotten: 53

Though sometimes melodramatic and formulaic, North Country is nonetheless a rousing, powerful story of courage and humanity.

71

Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 41
Fresh: 29 | Rotten: 12

Though sometimes melodramatic and formulaic, North Country is nonetheless a rousing, powerful story of courage and humanity.

audience

72

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 92,335

My Rating

Movie Info

A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. In the late '80s, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) fled her abusive husband, and needed to find a way to support her two children. Aimes returned to her hometown in Minnesota and followed the lead of her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), who had bucked tradition and found a job in the iron mines that had long provided employment for much of the community.

R,

Drama

Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy, Michael Seitzman

Feb 21, 2006

$18.3M

Warner Bros. Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (178) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (118) | Rotten (55) | DVD (24)

You cannot help being stirred by the reach and depth, the constant rebuffs to sloppiness, of a strong ensemble.

October 24, 2005
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Though the dirt and grime in North Country are artfully applied, it's purely cosmetic and skin-deep.

October 22, 2005 | Comment (1)
Rolling Stone
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North Country does a good job in ratcheting up the tension and unfairness until the audience is brought to the breaking point.

October 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Washington Post
Washington Post
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If there was ever any thought that perhaps Whale Rider was a fluke, North Country should erase all doubt.

October 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Toronto Star
Toronto Star
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North Country delivers an emotional wallop and a couple of performances worthy of recognition come award time.

October 21, 2005 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
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She's [Caro] got a good story to tell (based, loosely, on a real-life case), and a marvelous cast to help her tell it.

October 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Seattle Times
Seattle Times
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issue movie that blatantly examines power and sexual harassment in the workplace

January 14, 2013 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

North Country is the unfortunately overly-dramatized Hollywood version of a story that has a chance at being truly important and even uplifting, but thanks to extreme heavy-handedness, ends up being mostly shrill instead.

April 20, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | Comment (1)
ComingSoon.net

So "inspirational" it should mate with Cinderella Man and give birth to a litter of baby Oscars

September 1, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

The road to cinematic hell is paved with this sort of banal effort borne of bland good expectations.

July 21, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Apollo Guide

Excellent and stirring, but for mature audiences only.

July 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Would have you believe it's no more complex than a playground quarrel between boys, girls, and cooties.

April 27, 2008 Full Review Source: Projection Booth
Projection Booth

While the performances are flawless, Michael Seitzman's screenplay is embarrassingly sophomoric, so much so that the film's denouement completely obliterates its feminist message.

March 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Journal International
Film Journal International

Works as both deep focus on a critical historical moment, and a more intimate and sorrowful tale about growing up female in America.

February 10, 2007 Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio
WBAI Web Radio

Though tough and heavy-handed at times, North Country is engaging -- not one of those films about an important subject matter that you feel you should watch.

September 27, 2006
Christianity Today

...there's little doubt that the movie would not come off even remotely as well as it ultimately does were it not for the effectiveness of the cast.

July 11, 2006 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

Os realizadores de Terra Fria se revelam bem mais repugnantes e perigosos do que os mineiros retratados em seu filme supostamente liberal.

February 23, 2006
Cinema em Cena

The movie comes together in the final half hour, and then it's a heartbreaker and an inspiration, despite my minor reservations about events preceding it.

February 21, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

Audience Reviews for North Country

A female mine worker faces brutal sexual harassment and leads the way for the first U.S. class action lawsuit in such a case.
Bill Maher issued a "New Rule" when this film first came out: "New rule: Charlize Theron must be hot again." This was as he showed a picture of Theron covered in grime, a still from North Country. Isn't it ironic that she would still be seen as a sex symbol in a film that discourages seeing women as sex symbols? Such jokes - and they are not just jokes - constitute the cultural problem at the center of this slow-paced but compelling drama.
The performances by Theron and Frances McDormand are fantastic, each actress able to embody both natural femininity and the masculine mask they must put on in order to function in the mine. The most compelling scene in the film is provided by Richard Jenkins, who must defend his daughter against the screaming taunts of his co-workers.
But there are issues with the film. First, it delves into a few cliches along the way, including the climactic courtroom revelation, which I won't give away; suffice it to say that you won't be surprised. Second, on two occasions, the first being the Richard Jenkins scene and the second the very existence of the Woody Harrelson character, men are required to give women a voice. It seems as though the film is so self-conscious about not demonizing men that it contradicted its point by portraying men as necessary for female political and social action.
Overall, North Country starkly presents a serious cultural problem that, though set in 1989, certainly resonates today.
April 5, 2011
hunterjt13
Jim Hunter

Super Reviewer

North Country is a terrific drama film about the first sexual harassment law suit. A harsh story the treatment of women in the Minnesota Mines. Charlize Theron gives one of the best performances of career in North Country as Josey Aimes who takes a job at a local mine and witnesses first hand the harrasment by male workers. She goes on to sue the Company and therefore make history by filling the first sexual harrasment lawsuit. Every actor gives his all in this film, and everyone gives terrific performances. North Country is a solid Drama film that shouldn't be missed.
July 10, 2010
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

    1. Bill White: What's it going to be this time yellow or red? Yellow or red? YELLOW OR RED?
    2. Bobby Sharp: What was I supposed to do?
    – Submitted by Frances H (4 months ago)
    1. Bill White: Rangers are hard as steel, huh? Not this one. This one is made of butter.
    – Submitted by Frances H (4 months ago)
    1. Glory Dodge: Before your law firm hired you did they put your feet up in the air and look in your insides?
    – Submitted by Frances H (4 months ago)
    1. Kyle Dodge: This is Glory. She worked at Pearsons. She wants to say 'My name is Glory Dodge, and I'm not f**king dead yet. I stand with Josey.'
    – Submitted by Siddharth S (8 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • L'Affaire Josey Aimes (FR)
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