North

Perhaps the strangest and funniest of North's potential parents are Dan Ackroyd and Reba McEntire as over-the-top Texans. Everything on their ranch is big, and everything they do has a sense of exaggeration about it. It's campy and funny and corny. North also gets to go to Hawaii and Alaska among a couple of other places. There was one place where I felt a bit uncomfortable during his stopover in Alaska, though, as Grandpa (Abe Vigoda) was getting set to sail off into the sunset. While there may be some truth in the custom, I felt the portrayal was a bit disturbing.

Some reviewers have faulted this movie as being terrible or awful. While this movie was unlikely to win any awards, Elijah's performance was good. Further, I felt that this movie was suitable for children. The reaction I've seen from children thus far has been positive.

Many adults will likely not appreciate this movie as there are too many cliches. Furthermore, some aspects of the movie have been previously done. Lastly, the corny way in which some vignettes are done can be distracting. However, you need to remember the source of the vignettes, and realize that the camp and corn are appropriate to the source. Enough said.

I thought the movie was interesting and watchable. Admittedly portions are weak, but I found a number of funny points. The first time I watched I wasn't paying as close attention, and lost how North transitioned from being in the mall to looking for new parents, and thus I lost part of the point. The second time I watched, the movie made much more sense and I understood why everything was so corny. Give this one a shot if you like children's movies.


THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT PARENTS...   February 22, 2005
Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

I actually bought this movie by mistake, thinking that I had picked up Mr. North, the film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's book of the same name. The video lay around my house unviewed for some time after I bought it, and by the time I realized my error, it was too late to return it. So, I decided just to watch it and see what I had actually gotten.

Well, what I got was an enjoyable little fantasy/comedy directed by Rob Reiner. It centers around a terrific eleven year old kid named North (Elijah Wood) who feels that, despite his scholastic, athletic, and thespian achievements, his parents just ignore him. So, he does the unthinkable. He gets himself an attorney. He gets a legal separation from his parents. He then travels the world, searching for the perfect parents. In doing so, he inadvertently causes a mini-revolution that puts kids in the driver's seat, as parents scramble to remain the parents of record.

There are some very funny moments throughout this film, which boasts a stellar cast. Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are well paired as North's self-absorbed parents. Jon Lovitz plays the role of North's sleazy attorney. Bruce Willis is the sage that mysteriously appears in every vignette in which North is trying out new parents for size. Probably the funniest potential new parents are those played by Reba McEntire and Dan Ackroyd. Moreover, one of the bonuses of having Reba McEntire in the film is that she sings in it and is simply terrific, as is the rest of the cast. This is definitely a funny little film that turned out to be a pleasant surprise.





Wonderful movie with a great message and very funny!   July 22, 2000
Rosemary Thornton (Norfolk, VA)
12 out of 17 found this review helpful

When I first heard about this movie, I was expecting a "bratty-kid divorces-his-parents" kind of flick. But this movie was a joy and a delight. It has a good moral message for families and also tells a funny FUNNY story in the process. It's full of stars and Bruce Willis is perfectly cast as a Guardian Angel.

Whoever wrote this screenplay is a funny FUNNY guy and the movie is full of sight gags, too.

Above all, the movie has almost no dirty language or inappropriate scenes for young viewers.

This is a real classic and our whole family enjoyed watching it.


Can I give a negative score... PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!   February 11, 2002
"Big Band" John (NC United States)
8 out of 20 found this review helpful

You know, people talk about bad movies. When seeing Bruce Willis as The Easter Bunny is the highlight of a movie...P>To say this movie is the worst I ever saw doesn't do it justice. I would be tempted to watch Mondo Trasho, a movie which caused me to need therapy, before I would watch this again (ok, that's an exaggeration... I didn;t need therapy, but I felt soiled after watching it).

Take a talented director, and tell him to remove all semblance of a real plot, good dialog, and good acting, and North would get an A+++++.... This has to be used as a movie to teach others how not to make a movie.

To this day, I can't take Elijah Wood seriously as an actor. It was only after I made that connection that I started to enjoy "Lord of the Rings".

On second thought, burn every copy of this film and remove it from human memory. This would be the kindest act that could be blessed upon humanity.


Only if you're an Elijah Wood Fan...   October 28, 2002
8 out of 14 found this review helpful

Yes, this is the film in which Bruce Willis appears in a pink bunny suit! And no, unless you are an Elijah Wood fanatic, there is no other reason to watch this! Anyone under twelve will find this film entirely satisfactory and enjoyable- but then anyone under twelve shouldn't be watching it. The very thinly-veiled sexual innuendo and profanity that appears on several occasions is unforgivable and unjustified in a work marketed as a `children's film'.' North' does not have the depth to be appealing to adults and yet manages to make itself entirely unsuitable for its target audience.
Its hard to pick out any flaw in the performance of Elijah Wood as the title character- he is uniformly excellent- its just that the rest of the film is purely awful. It starts out positively, working off the interesting premise of `can a kid divorce his parents?' but rapidly descends into dismal cliches. Indeed some scenes could easily pass for send-ups of the whole `children's movie' genre! Wood is dragged from one slapstick situation to another mercilessly, at a jumpy pace that allows little time for the development of the film's central `importance of family' message. Those who watch `North' through to the conclusion will realise that it was only Wood's skill that came between them and the eject button. He is energetic throughout and, at times, incredibly genuine. Unfortunately even the best of actors cannot wholly redeem a weak film and it is easy to see why `North' failed at the box-office.
Basically non-Elijahfans should avoid `North' at all costs. Mind you, one cannot discount the obvious attraction of Bruce Willis in that furry pink bunny suit!