Evengyny
Thanks for the memories!
Mischa Redfern
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Sabah Hensley
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
cinephile-27690
I have no idea why Roger Ebert, or anyone else, wanted to hate this story,and close examination of the film itself is no help. "North" is one of the most pleasant experiences I've had at the movies. To call it manipulative would be inaccurate; it has an ambition to manipulate, but succeeds.The film stars Elijah Wood, who is a wonderful young actor . He plays a kid with inattentive parents, who decides to go into court, free himself of them, and go on a worldwide search for nicer parents.
This idea is deeply creative. Children do not lightly separate from their parents - and certainly not on the evidence provided here, where the great parental sin is not paying attention to their kid at the dinner table. The parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander) have provided little North with what looks like a million-dollar house in a Frank Capra neighborhood, all on dad's salary as a pants inspector. And, yes, I know that is supposed to be a fantasy, but the pants-inspecting jokes are only the first of several truly unique episodes in this film.North goes into court, where the judge is Alan Arkin, proving without the slightest shadow of a doubt that he should appear again in public with any material even vaguely inspired by Groucho Marx. North's case hits the headlines, and since he is such an all-star overachiever, offers pour in from would-be parents all over the world, leading to an odyssey that takes him to Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and elsewhere.What is the point of the scenes with the auditioning parents? (The victimized actors range from Dan Aykroyd as a Texan to Kathy Bates as an Eskimo). They are all seen as broad, desperate comic caricatures. They are funny. They are touching. There is truth in them. They t even work as parodies. There is an creativity here that seems almost intentional, as if the filmmakers never plotted to leave anything of interest or entertainment value out of these episodes.North is followed on his travels by a mysterious character who appears in many guises. He is the Easter bunny, a cowboy, a beach bum, and a Federal Express driver who works in several product plugs.Funny, thinks North; this guy looks familiar. And so he is. All of the manifestations are played by Bruce Willis, who is funny,though not helpful, in any of them.I loved this movie. Loved loved loved loved loved this movie. Loved it. Loved every simpering clever full audience-loving moment of it. Loved the sensibility that thought anyone would not like it. Loved the implied insult to Ebert by his belief that anyone would be entertained by it.I hold it as an item of faith that Rob Reiner is a gifted filmmaker; among his credits are "This Is Spinal Tap," "The Princess Bride," "Stand By Me," "When Harry Met Sally...," and "Misery." I list those titles as praise with this one."North" is a good film - one of the best movies I have ever seen. But it is not by a bad filmmaker, and must represent some sort of lapse from which Ebert will recover - possibly sooner than I will.
techmasterb
A great movie with a lot of star actors and actresses. It's fun and fanciful while it explorers deeper issues and meanings about ourselves. Definitely worth the watch with kids or the whole family.You should just ignore most of the other reviews. It seems as if people do not have a mind of their own and just keep spouting off about how "Siskel & Ebert didn't like it, therefore I didn't like it." So I guess 2 people speak for the entire world of film now? What a boring world that would be. How about you people actually watch the film and evaluate on your own accord; or is that too difficult? If so, then you should not be allowed to pass judgment on anything. What is the point of a review system when all you do is follow one or 2 people on what they think? Might as well just stop people from posting and just allow 1 person to make all decisions.
catfish907
I noticed that some people on this site are giving this god-awful film good reviews. Anybody giving this film 5 or higher is either A)A troll B)Blind and deaf C)Really stupid or D)One of the cast or crew of this film Sorry but this film belongs in the dustbin of history. Rodger Ebert was correct about this film. I hated it even when I was a kid. OK so here is the "plot"(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS THEN SKIP AHEAD TO THE END OF MY REVIEW) North(Elijah Wood,BEFORE he was Frodo)is a kid that has parents that don't see his talents and is upset about this. So one day he is at a mall and gets visited by Bruce Willis(Who is some pedo in a bunny suit) and tells him to make up with his parents,but he doesn't listen and hires a lawyer to divorce his parents(This causes his parents to pass out). So he moves to Texas where he meets a stereotypical western family that sing a REALLY bad musical number about the things that they are gonna do to him. So he leaves and goes to Hawaii where he meets a stereotypical Hawaiian couple named Mr. and Mrs. Ho (Some last name). They plan to display a picture of North's ass on billboards on every major highway in the mainland. This causes North to go to Alaska where he movies in with Sarah Palin and her family! Nah,I'm just kidding,he didn't move in with Sarah Palin,but he did move in with a family that is just as bad. The family is a stereotypical Inuit family,and the lady of the family is Kathy Bates wearing BLACKFACE to portray an Inuit. He then tries a bunch of other families that are ethnic stereotypes then tries to go back to his original family, but he is shot and wakes up. Yep. The film ended up using the "It's-all-a-dream" cliché. (SPOILERS END HERE) This is a horrid film that deserved the bad reviews that it got. Oh and don't try to defend this film by going "It's a kid's film!" Bullshit. I know it's a kid's film,but that doesn't mean it's immune from criticism. Kid's films have standards to. The fact that it's a kid's film doesn't make it OK for it to have awful jokes,a crappy plot,and offensive ethnic and cultural stereotypes. In conclusion:North is a horrid film that deserves all the bad reviews that it got.
Christian_Dimartino
And the award for worst movie i've seen recently goes to... North. Talk about a misguided, morally deceased, un-funny, corny, painfully dumb, and over long kids comedy. I honestly enjoyed Kazaam, where Shaq plays a genie, more than this. Don't get me wrong, that movie is awful also. But with a premise as ridiculous and stupid as this, it's truly doomed from the start.The film revolves around a boy named North(young Elijah Wood) who feels neglected by his parents(Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss). So he hires a lawyer(Jon Lovitz) to disown him, and he goes around the world looking for new parents, which include a cowboy couple, Amish people, and Eskimos. Meanwhile, this annoying kid, really annoying, is practically taking over the planet, and trying to persuade other kids to disown their parents.Half of Hollywood is in this movie, and do you know why? No, seriously, I'm asking you. Did Bruce Willis, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Jason Alexander, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Bates, John Ritter, Dan Akroyd, Reba Macintyre, or even it's unfortunate director, Rob Reiner ever read this script? It's awful. I hated it from the first ten minutes. Who wrote this book? It's garbage. It's as if the writer was seven. I've already told you what else is awful about it from the opening paragraph. But if I haven't said it, I will: THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES EVER MADE. To quote Roger Ebert in his review for this film: "I hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this film."F