North (1994)

Eleven-year-old North has had it with his parents. They are always busy with their careers and don't give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules ... See full summary »

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Alan Zweibel (novel), Alan Zweibel (screenplay),

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elijah Wood	...	North
Jason Alexander	...	North's Dad
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	North's Mom
Marc Shaiman	...	Piano Player
Jussie Smollett	...	Adam
Taylor Fry	...	Zoe
Alana Austin	...	Sarah
Peg Shirley	...	Teacher
Chuck Cooper	...	Umpire
Alan Zweibel	...	Coach
Donavon Dietz	...	Assistant Coach
Teddy Bergman	...	Teammate
Michael Cipriani	...	Teammate
Joran Corneal	...	Teammate
Joshua Kaplan	...	Teammate

Storyline

Eleven-year-old North has had it with his parents. They are always busy with their careers and don't give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules that North should either find new parents or return to his own parents within two months. Thus north starts off on an hilarious journey around the world to find the parents that really care about him.

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Plot Keywords:

parent | school | one word title | divorce | child boss | 

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Taglines:

North's hopping mad with his parents, and now he's off on a world wide adventure!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for a few words

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Det perfekte barn

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$7,138,449 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alexander Godunov and Kelly McGillis play the Amish parents - a joke on the movie Witness where they also played Amish characters.

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Goofs

When North is in Alaska, and the family is walking their grandfather to the shore, the ceiling of the studio that the scene is filmed in is visible.

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Quotes

[North's parents lay unconscious]
Attorney: Your honor, the defense rests.

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Crazy Credits

Scarlett Johansson is credited as Scarlett Johanssen. Her surname is spelt wrong!

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Connections

References Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

"MY LITTLE GRASS SHACK"
by Johnny Noble, Bill Cogswell and Tommy Harrison

User Reviews

Not for Kids, Not for Adults

NOTE: Some of you may be offended by the language in this review. If you are, DO NOT see the movie. All the language here is taken directly from the movie.

Roger Ebert "hated, hated, hated" this movie, and while I wouldn't go as far as to say that, this certainly ranks as the worst (by far) Elijah Wood movie on record. The quality of such an actor as Wood or Bruce Willis can't overcome the fact that "North" has absolutely no idea what kind of movie it wants to be.

At first glance, "North" seems to be a kids movie. The plot, in which the title character searches for the ideal parents, is a child's dream. The main characters (except Willis' "guardian angel" role) are either kids or stupid. The message is a simple one about what constitutes a true family, and only a child would be unable to determine the exact outcome within the first thirty minutes of the film. "North" feels like a live-action Saturday morning cartoon.

But do kids movies have sex jokes? Do kids movies talk about men having blood in their stool or boys balls sticking to their legs in hot weather? Do kids movies have children utter words like "asshole"? Do kids movies have the main character apparently get shot in the head? It's one thing to have elements that will appeal to adults, but those elements shouldn't force parents to cover their kids' ears.

North is a bad movie. Parents (and everyone else) be warned.

Grade D- (a few good jokes and the always lovable Wood, but this is a movie that never should have been made)