This is a classic example of less-than-the-sum-of-its-parts. Director Niki Caro travels as far as she can from the New Zealand of Whale Rider to another distant outpost, in northern Minnesota mining country, for another tale of female empowerment, but she brings with her a sense of place, work, and community. Charlize Theron acts well enough that you occasionally forget how gorgeous she is, and she delivers a character cut from the true-life, working-class mold of Norma Rae or Erin Brockovich. Chris Menges’ cinematography is bleak and beautiful. The supporting cast is outstanding: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins and Sissy Spacek, among others. There are well-chosen songs by North Country native, Bob Zimmerman (aka Dylan.) But the screenplay is only “inspired by” the true story of a precedent-setting class-action sexual harassment suit at an iron mine, and falls back on a variety of heart-tugging cliches; and either writer or director made some miscalculations with flashbacks and foreshadowings, so the film settles fatally for “inspiration” rather than truth. (2005, dvd, n.) *6* (MC-68.)
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