Far North

Depending on what you like, you might need to be in the mood for this, as it isn't full of the fast-paced quick-cut bubble-gum junk that most of today's movies have. More to the point, I liked the mostly light-hearted with dark undertones screenplay, and thought the acting and soundtrack were quite good as well. It doesn't hurt if you've always liked Jessica Lange and Charles Durning. And while her role and acting here doesn't stand up next to her Cape Fear work, it does give Mr. Durning some stretching space. Sam Shepard's direction is more than adequate, and doesn't get in the way. I also liked the way this movie was edited to create tension where needed. It is well worth seeing. Oh yeah, the horse does a fine job too.

"Far North" is a great film. Filmed in the fall of 87 in and around Duluth, MN, this movie gives a "glimpse" of Minnesota life for a (disfunctional) farm family of the north in the late 1980's. The scenery is magical and the music (played by the Red Clay Ramblers) certainly fits the scenes and story of the film. Starring Jessica Lange (She was born and raised near Duluth and now lives in Stillwater, MN), who does a great performance as ex-Minnesotan turned New Yorker, Katie (who easily taps back into her northern MN accent). Far North combines comedy, drama, scenery and emotion all in one. This is a great movie to watch if one wants to get a "taste" for some good ole Minnesota flavor!!

Released in 1988, "Far North" is a comedy/farce/drama about a farm family in Duluth, Minnesota. Their supposedly diabolical horse, Mel, throws the patriarch (the bloated Charles Durning) and so the daughter with a bun in the oven (Jessica Lange) comes home from the Big Apple to visit Dad in the hospital. The matriarch (Ann Wedgeworth) has Alzheimers while the other daughter (Tess Harper) has her hands full on the farm raising a fatherless daughter (Patricia Arquette) who's quite the rebel. Donald Moffat is also on hand on hand as the alcoholic, gambling uncle. The plot revolves around the father's angry request to shoot the horse and the others arguing over doing it or not doing it.

Sam Shepherd wrote and directed this film. Although he wrote several screenplays or teleplays before "Far North" this was the first of only two films that he's directed. I can see why he didn't direct more movies.

What's the point of "Far North"? All I can come up with is that it's basically about an eccentric family of Northern Minnesota where the women have gone wild and don't need men to survive, although they crave them. The only two men in the story are elderly and nigh psychotic.

The movie is akin to 2000's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" in tone albeit nowhere near as good. While the cast, locations, music and filmmaking are fine, nothing worked for me as far as the story and characters go. It's not compelling, it's not funny and I couldn't relate to the characters. It's pointless drivel and I find it hard to believe anyone would blow the time and money to create it. While most people agree that it's a bad film there are a minority who really like it. I guess they "got" it. I sure didn't.

The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in the Duluth area.

GRADE: D+

Sam Shepard's style of bringing out a piece of real American pie is sensitively portayed in "Far North". Acting is excellent portraying a woman (Jessica Lange) who rejoins her rural family after a buckboard accident puts her Dad in the hospital vowing revenge on his horse.

For folks like myself who have lived in the area for a while, this is an interesting little episode. For those who've never been here, it does give a pretty good feel for the ambiance of the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

In fact, I may actually know Charles Durning's character from my youth. The town I'm from is south of Ashland but had more than its share of characters... one of them built an early version of a go-cart with a 12HP, two-man chain saw motor and forgot to put brakes on it. He said it was scary going down the road, waiting to run out of gas but the looks on motorist's faces when he passed them made it worth the risk.

Thank you, Mr. Shepard for such an outstanding job of displaying what is humorous about us without insulting us.