02/25/06 North Country

North Country (2005), directed by Niki Caro

watched solo; DVD rental (Record Exchange) @ home

Go, Charlize. Finally Hollywood can point to a talented actress who is beautiful enough to pull off a lead in any run-of-the-mill yarn they spin out & plaster her name across the poster to sell tickets; then she flips the script on them every once in awhile (a la Monster) and gets down & dirty (and sometimes ugly) to play a true life role of adversity in Oscar winning fashion. This is a story based on the landmark class action lawsuit on a mining company in Minnesota in 1984, that saw women stand up for their rights against sexual harassment in the workplace. Taking on the gritty and until then masculine world of mining, Theron's character becomes the catalyst of the controversial lawsuit. It shows not only the harsh conditions these brave women had to face, but delves more into the community impact it has on all of the families. The documentary info extras are great to see that a lot of the real women played cameo roles in the film too. Don't be surprised to see Charlize win another dirty Oscar.

4 out of 5 stars