North Country Reviews

After ‘Monster’ and winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Charlize Theron’s profile got pretty serious and since then, she has tried to reach that level again with some rather mixed results (on the other hand, if you compare her career with Hilary Swank's , one of the most disappointing actresses out there, she didn’t do so bad after all). Anyway, this time again, she goes for a feature which was obviously aiming for the Academy Awards but, when this movie came out, it was fairly unnoticed. Personally, I think it's pity since it was actually a pretty good flick. I mean, to be honest, it was not a very original story but I thought it was still a very well made and strong drama. Once again, Charlize Theron provided a very good perfomance as a white trash woman (since 'Monster', it seems that it has become some kind of speciality for her) and she was surrounded by a very good supporting cast. To conclude, even though it is pretty much forgotten nowadays, I think it is actually a really good drama and, in my opinion, it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

The story uncovered the real life hardships of women trying to earn a living in a male dominated environment, and for that I appreciate this film. However, Charlize Theron is a bit overrated and her performance shows it. Frances McDormand steals the spotlight.