North Country - Good Flick

Diane and I went to see North Country Friday night at Rave Theatres.

I love movies, and I love to talk about them. But unlike almost everyone who tries to be a movie critic, I don't try to criticize first, or look for how I can say something negative just to sound cool. I go in, rather, with the intent of enjoying the movie, and then I like to talk about it with co-workers, or now since I have this blog, just jot down a few thoughts about it.

With that in mind, here goes:

North Country is based on a true story of the world's first Class Action Sexual Harassment suit. It takes place in the iron ore mines of Northern Minnesota, a few hours drive from my home.

Charlize Theron, Richard Jenkins (Illinois Wesleyan grad who has become an outstanding character actor in both comedies and dramas), the outstanding Frances McDormand, and Woody Harrelson are the main stars, but the supporting cast does a great job of capturing the lifestyle and personalities of the tough people of the Iron Range.

First thing I noticed was, unlike the cartoony, over-the-top accents of "Fargo", this movie pays enough attention to detail that the actors actually capture the Iron Range accent without going to far. As a Minnesotan, I appreciated that greatly.

Secondly, the movie has surprisingly little courtroom drama, which I expected more of after watching the previews. The story centers more on the how the life of one woman is affected by her job and the crap she has to endure at work. It also tells of the struggles of the other women in the mines, as they battle internally over whether to complain and risk losing their job, or keep quiet. Same goes for the men NOT involved in bad behavior...many characters are shown conflicted as to what they should do.

Minnesota mines are not the underground type, they are open-pit mines. The scenery is beautifully captured, and the movie goer can almost feel the cold, whipping wind even on a springtime or fall day in Minnesota.

The actors all did a good job at creating their characters, and the young man who plays Theron's son (Thomas Curtis) Sammy is outstanding. Also of note is the performance of Xander Berkeley as the women's supervisor, Mr. Pavich. Berkeley played in the first two seasons of Keifer Sutherland's "24" on Fox, and nobody catches the Minnesota demeanor in this movie like Berkeley. If you see the movie, and you see Mr. Pavich, and you say, "what a geek", you will have seen a true mine supervisor in Northern Minnesota. Company man, unattractive but thinks he's a player, that kind of guy.

SIDENOTE: When I returned to Minnesota a week and a half back for my grandfather's funeral, I asked my Uncle Dick about the movie. He joined Reserve Mining in Babbitt, Minnesota in 1954 and still lives up there. I asked him if he was aware of the case (the case came forth in 1984, but the movie not only changes names, it changes dates, as it plays out in 1989. Not sure why. Probably to protect from lawsuits.) and he said it did indeed happen at his mining company.

He said he heard tales at the time of what was happening, but he didn't work with them. They were all (with one exception) working inside the buildings that convert the iron ore into taconite, and he was out driving trucks and running the huge claws that dig at the earth, and he said that he, like many others, turned the other cheek. He didn't say it, but I have the feeling he wishes he and others would have done something about it before it got to court. He also said many of the ladies still work there, and they didn't want money, they just wanted to be treated fairly. You'll have to see the movie to see whether that happens or not.