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

Actor Bill Nighy stated during a Q&A session at the British Film Institute in London in 2010 that in his opinion he regards Richard Jenkins' performance in this film as one of the finest in motion picture history.

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Goofs

During the opening text about women miners, the word "Northern" is spelled "Norhtern".

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Quotes

Bill White: [looking at the copious amount of stuffed deer and elk head mounted on the walls of the bar] What is this? A pet cemetery?
Kyle: You got a lot of pet elk in your house?

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Connections

Featured in HBO First Look: North Country (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me"
Written by Mac Davis
Performed by Mac Davis
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

User Reviews

Courtroom Scenes are Flat Out Ridiculous

Dramatic license is certainly forgivable but this film would have been much more effective if not for the beyond-Perry-Mason touches in the courtroom where the plaintiff's case is rescued at the 11th hour and 59th minute by antics that wouldn't pass muster in any courtroom in America, unless the defendant's attorney (Linda Emond) was utterly incompetent and the judge was a blithering idiot. Surely it should have been possible for a competent script writer to bring the drama to its conclusion in a more believable way. The manifest absurdity of the last 15 minutes of the movie undermined (for me) what was otherwise another excellent performance by Charlize Theron and the usual outstanding work of Frances McDormand. For those who haven't seen her on the stage, this may have been the first time most movie goers will have encountered Linda Emond, who plays the defense attorney. She is a gifted actress who deserves better than being asked to stand by like a cigar store Indian while the plaintiff's attorney (Woody Harrelson) commits every procedural violation that could possibly be conceived. Don't blame Harrelson, however. The one-time goofy bartender of "Cheers" actually does very well in the scenes outside the courtroom. Frankly, I wish this film had stuck more closely to the facts and avoided the phony fireworks at the end.