When I first discovered the Nostalgia Critic, I had an odd fascination with the movie "North." Not enough to actually watch it, mind you. But enough to want to know why it was so widely panned. Somehow I stumbled across a transcript of this review, spurning my curiosity. I watched the review on YouTube, and I was hooked. I'm a huge fan of bombastic humor, and NC's witty, sarcastic demeanor won me over.
This episode was made in the second season, so the sound and display quality aren't as good as now, and there's no accompanying skit. But sometimes less is more.
Reviews
2 Reviews
North
(1994)
Would work if viewed as a dark satire of kids' films
7 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I've watched the Nostalgia Critic review a few times, with the aid of cannabis, and come to a conclusion: This movie can only be enjoyed in a perverse fashion (as a satire in the vein of South Park or Monty Python), only under the influence, and only if not taken seriously. It's actually great fun to come up with theories as to why this film was made, the illogical dialogue and surreal plot, and the sudden shift in tone halfway through. And North's "panic attack" cracks me up every time, because it's so obviously a ploy for attention (think "crocodile tears") and not a real panic attack. And even though the caricatures of the trial families are beyond problematic, the whole movie would make more sense if the dream transition were more obvious.
My theory? North suffers from delusions of grandeur and thinks every second not devoted to his golden-boy status is straight-up neglect by his parents. So he goes to his secret place...in a mall, which seems like an attention-grab, in order to get someone to listen to him. He bonds with the bunny man and tells him his woes, and he misinterprets the bunny man's advice as suggesting he seek emancipation. So he begins to fantasize about being free to choose his parents...and falls asleep. And naturally his dreams expose a great deal about his character.
Because he's so narcissistic, he has delusions that all the parents in town think he's a perfect child. He can't be bothered to look at the world beyond his NYC life, so his dream families are all white-washed, grotesque caricatures that would make 1940s cartoons blush. Now that I think about it, every character in this film, whether real or imagined, is based on a stereotype. He's enamored with the idea of living the idealized 1950s-esque suburban life, so he envisions the final, seemingly perfect family as a Leave-It-to-Beaver fantasy.
The sudden dark turn at mid-film is obviously the beginning of a nightmare, and reveals some disturbing insights toward his psyche. He clearly suffers from severe anxiety of the world turning against him. He just wants his parents to dote on him and devote every waking moment to his whims. In short, North is the ultimate precursor to the stereotype of a spoiled, entitled, coddled millennial that older generations love to hate.
So North finally jerks awake from his nightmare, and...the man-bunny is still there. (Is this creepy or what?) He's way too trusting of that man-bunny, so he accepts a ride from him instead of asking the police to drive him home. Or his parents that he's supposedly so desperate to see. He's thrilled to run into his parents' arms, and they all live happily ever after. The end.
Really, the only way to watch this movie is through the lens of a dark satire on mindless, sappy kids' family movies. Throw in a few f-bombs, and you've got the makings of a pre-South Park live action film! If only Rob Reiner had seen this opportunity and directed accordingly, the film might not have bombed, and this might have saved his reputation as a filmmaker.
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