North Country (2005)

A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.

Director:

Niki Caro

Writers:

Michael Seitzman (screenplay), Clara Bingham (book),

Stars:

Charlize Theron, Thomas Curtis, Frances McDormand

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlize Theron	...	Josey Aimes
Thomas Curtis	...	Sammy Aimes
Elle Peterson	...	Karen Aimes
Frances McDormand	...	Glory
Sean Bean	...	Kyle
Woody Harrelson	...	Bill White
Jeremy Renner	...	Bobby Sharp
Richard Jenkins	...	Hank Aimes
Sissy Spacek	...	Alice Aimes
James Cada	...	Don Pearson
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Big Betty
Linda Emond	...	Leslie Conlin
Michelle Monaghan	...	Sherry
Brad William Henke	...	Lattavansky
Jillian Armenante	...	Peg

Storyline

A semi-fictionalized account of a long legal battle of group of women miners who endured a hostile work environment and numerous and continuous insults and unwanted touching when they became the first women to go work at the Eveleth Mines in Minnesota.

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Plot Keywords:

miner | mine | minnesota | sexual harassment | lawsuit | 

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Taglines:

All She Wanted Was To Make A Living. Instead She Made History.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences involving sexual harassment including violence and dialogue, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Class Action

Filming Locations:

Chisholm, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$247,375 (Australia) (3 February 2006)

Gross:

$502,980 (South Africa) (3 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Industry Entertainment, Participant Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the women standing up in the last courtroom scene were real plaintiffs.

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Goofs

In the bar scene after we are first introduced to Bill White, Glory's tray of shots switches from five shots to four then back to five again throughout the scene.

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Quotes

Glory: [notices Josey's wedding ring] Married? Who's the lucky?
Josey Aimes: [looks distressed, licks her finger and starts to remove the ring]
Glory: Who's the unlucky?
Josey Aimes: Me, I s'pose.

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Connections

Featured in The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)"
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by Bob Dylan
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

User Reviews

The Class Action.

Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) leaves her abusive husband and returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota. After a prompt from her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), Josey now a single mother with two children to support, seeks employment at the town iron mine plant. Predominantly employing men, Josey is expecting the work to be hard and gruelling, what she wasn't expecting tho is the mental and sexual harassment that the women and herself are expected to tolerate. Finally having enough, she starts to speak out about her treatment, but she finds that there are few allies both at work and at home. Her career, her life and her family are all sure to be affected as things reach breaking point.

North Country is inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson, which details the landmark case of Jenson V Eveleth Taconite Company that changed the sexual harassment law.

There is always a danger in film land that serious, based on facts topics get too much of a Hollywood sheen. So shall it be with Niki Caro's {Whale Rider} interpretation of this most important part of American law. The impact is there, very much so, but in the need to keep the audience on board, one feels they are being force fed drama when really none was needed. Having a beauty like Charlize Theron playing your lead hardly helps cast off the glossy feel of the production. "Rightly" nominated for Best Actress {she has gusto in abundance}, Theron is however miscast as regards the nature of the piece, her aura and star bank-ability his hard to ignore during the more dramatic moments. As the New York Times review noted on its release, "it's a star vehicle with heart," and it's impossible to argue with that astute summary.

Still there is much to enjoy here. In amongst the annoying contrivances put our way to further the emotional aspects, there beats a serious and dramatic heart. Coupled with a more than competently handled court case finale, and aided by McDormand's highly effective performance, North Country makes its valid point in spite of its obvious problems. Tho the film didn't make back its budget of $30 million, it got people talking about the topic at its core. Putting the revolting issue of sexual harassment back in the public conscious can never be a bad thing, so with that, North Country achieved its aims. If it's as impacting as its cousins, Norma Rae, Silkwood and Erin Brockovich is debatable, but it is potent and it is acted with aplomb from its principals. It's just regrettable that one can't quite shake off knowing it's all a bit too glossy for its own good. 7/10