Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) leaves her abusive husband and returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota. After a prompt from her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand),Josey now a single mother with two children to support, seeks employment at the town iron mine plant. Predominantly employing men, Josey is expecting the work to be hard and gruelling, what she wasn't expecting tho is the mental and sexual harassment that the women and herself are expected to tolerate. Finally having enough, she starts to speak out about her treatment, but she finds that there are few allies both at work and at home. Her career, her life and her family are all sure to be affected as things reach breaking point.

North Country is inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson, which details the landmark case of Jenson V Eveleth Taconite Company that changed the sexual harassment law.

There is always a danger in film land that serious, based on facts topics get too much of a Hollywood sheen. So shall it be with Niki Caro's (Whale Rider) interpretation of this most important part of American law. The impact is there, very much so, but in the need to keep the audience on board, one feels they are being force fed drama when really none was needed. Having a beauty like Charlize Theron playing your lead hardly helps cast off the glossy feel of the production. "Rightly" nominated for Best Actress (she has gusto in abundance),Theron is however miscast as regards the nature of the piece, her aura and star bank-ability his hard to ignore during the more dramatic moments. As the New York Times review noted on its release, "it's a star vehicle with heart," and it's impossible to argue with that astute summary.

Still there is much to enjoy here. In amongst the annoying contrivances put our way to further the emotional aspects, there beats a serious and dramatic heart. Coupled with a more than competently handled court case finale, and aided by McDormand's highly effective performance, North Country makes its valid point in spite of its obvious problems. Though the film didn't make back its budget of $30 million, it got people talking about the topic at its core. Putting the revolting issue of sexual harassment back in the public conscious can never be a bad thing, so with that, North Country achieved its aims. If it's as impacting as its cousins, Norma Rae, Silkwood and Erin Brockovich is debatable, but it is potent and it is acted with aplomb from its principals. It's just regrettable that one can't quite shake off knowing it's all a bit too glossy for its own good. 7/10

Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) is being questioned in court by the opposing counsel. She tells the story of her beating by her husband. It's 1989. She had run away with her two kids back to her parents in northern Minnesota. Her father Hank (Richard Jenkins) does not approve while her mother Alice (Sissy Spacek) is the quietly suffering type. They're both pushing her back to her husband Wayne. Glory (Frances McDormand) tells her about jobs at the iron mines with Pearson Taconite and Steel hiring. She and her kids would move in with Glory and her husband Kyle (Sean Bean). However, sexism is rampant at the company sometimes coming from the company itself. It's lewd jokes, groping and general anger. The men are not all happy. Jobs are scarce. Her father Hank works there, and also her former boyfriend Bobby Sharp (Jeremy Renner) who becomes her immediate supervisor.

I know the film says it's inspired by a true story. I just find it so reminiscent of those Lifetime movies where everything goes wrong for these women. Sure there is an all star cast. In fact, Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron were nominated for Oscars. It just feels too Hollywood with supermodel Charlize Theron. I can't buy her as a miner, and I can't get fully into the movie. It would have been better with Michelle Monaghan as the lead. She has slightly more of a hot-every-woman vibe. Although she doesn't have the big name like Charlize.

Here in Minnesota the case was pretty hight profile. Obviously, these women endured some really nasty stuff. We are brought inside the situation. It's hard to believe that a large group of people wouldn't at least be afraid of forces that had already been put in place. It's a good story and Theron holds it together. The problem is that it gets so maudlin at the end that all that good storytelling seems to slip into a vacuum. Corn was OK in the 1940's, but contemporary audiences have an awareness that makes this seem really saccharine. I'd be interested to see how much of the the last quarter of the film actually happened. Were the miners as monstrous as portrayed? I guess one would have to go back to the trial accounts. Theron's character was certainly the wrong one to mess with. It would be interesting to see how the taconite industry is doing and what sort of employees are still there working.