Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App New News Showtimes

North

Play trailer Poster for North PG,  1994,  1h 28m,  Kids & Family/ Comedy/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 12% 113 Reviews Tomatometer 27% 10,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
12% Tomatometer 113 Reviews 27% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
North (Elijah Wood) is a talented and bright kid, but his mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and dad (Jason Alexander) are utterly preoccupied with other things in their lives, leaving him largely ignored. Advised by a mysterious man (Bruce Willis) who pops up on occasion, North decides to legally separate himself from his parents and goes on a search across the globe for the ideal mother and father. Unfortunately for the young boy, most of the people that he meets have very little potential.
North

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Laden with schmaltz and largely bereft of evident narrative purpose, North represents a major disappointment from previously sure-handed director Rob Reiner.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 26, 2026
0/4
I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Go to Full Review
Richard Schickel TIME Magazine Jan 26, 2026
Director Rob Reiner strives too hard for the tones of a fable, but the result is far from fabulous. Go to Full Review
Georgia Brown Village Voice Jan 26, 2026
Relentlessly vulgar, North can be see as yet another plaintive cry from, or cynical appeal to, the home alone generation. Go to Full Review
Larry Ratliff San Antonio Express-News Aug 24, 2026
"North" is the most inventive, outrageous failure to light up the screen in some time. Go to Full Review
Mike Pearson Denver Rocky Mountain News Jul 23, 2026
While parts of North are amusing, the whole is never much fun. Go to Full Review
Sara Voorhees Albuquerque Tribune Apr 1, 2026
Reiner managed to gather a cast of fabulous actors, who are unable to balance the rotten script. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Rey P Apr 21, 2019 "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.", to quote Roger Ebert. And that basically sums it up. See more
Anakin R Mar 20, 2019 When Siskel and Ebert both heavily loathe a film, you better take their advice. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The plot is among the worst in history; it is ridiculous, stupid, and beyond logical. The characters are horribly portrayed and filled to the brim with offensive stereotypes. I almost forgot to mention the bad script, terrible comedy, dreadful execution, and mean-spirited message. I wonder how Rob Reiner managed to get this project green lighted? I hated every minute of this thing. Overall Rating: 0. See more
Draco G Feb 14, 2019 North is one of if not the worst film I have ever seen, I don't mind mean spirited comedies if they are done right, but this movie doesn't know how to do that right. The story about a kid wanting to seek new parents comes across as downright despicable. Stereotypes can be funny, but here they are not funny and come across as (as much as I hate this word nowadays) offensive. It's an awful film that deserves to be forgotten about, and thankfully nowadays that seems to be a case. I just wish I had never had the displeasure of watching it. See more
Rey M Sep 30, 2018 This movie, not the painting by Dana Schutz, deserves to be destroyed. PLOT TWIST, IT WAS ALL A DREAM. To cleanse your mind, watch The Good Son or anything else any of that Julia Louis-Dreyfus was in or something. I'm not actually sure why I hate this movie so much, but... I think it probably deserves it. See more
Draco L Aug 12, 2018 a movie starring Elijah Wood who went on to star in Lord of the Rings, Bruce Willis of Die Hard fame, two Seinfeld cast members, Dan Aykroyd from Ghosbusters. With all those actors who either had pre existing fame or went on to become icons this movie should in every sense of the word have been a box office hit. It scored a grand total of 7.1 million dollars on a 40 million dollar budget and if you see the movie you'll know why. the jokes are forced the storyline is bland and everything is so incoherent that it makes Alice in Wonderland look logical. This is absolute nonsense and it is an absolute miracle most of the aforementioned actors made it out with a career. See more
May 9, 2018 Although it may not be well received by critics Ihave always had a great love of the whimzy of this movie. As a child Icould appreciate the comedy as well as feel empathy for North .It may not be suited for critics but it is for me as well as my chhildren. See more
Read all reviews
North

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
The Toy 3% 53% The Toy Watchlist Major League II 5% 45% Major League II Watchlist Canadian Bacon 19% 52% Canadian Bacon Watchlist Son of the Pink Panther 6% 18% Son of the Pink Panther Watchlist Bebe's Kids 36% 74% Bebe's Kids Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis North (Elijah Wood) is a talented and bright kid, but his mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and dad (Jason Alexander) are utterly preoccupied with other things in their lives, leaving him largely ignored. Advised by a mysterious man (Bruce Willis) who pops up on occasion, North decides to legally separate himself from his parents and goes on a search across the globe for the ideal mother and father. Unfortunately for the young boy, most of the people that he meets have very little potential.
Director
Rob Reiner
Producer
Rob Reiner, Alan Zweibel
Screenwriter
Alan Zweibel, Andrew Scheinman
Production Co
New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 22, 1994, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.6M
Runtime
1h 28m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings