I've said it once and I'll say it again - Charlize Theron is an extraordinary actress, and she will be winning trophies for the rest of her acting career.
But this, dear friend, is not her movie.
Oh, don’t get me wrong - “North Country” is a wonderful film, and Theron carries it beautifully. It has a great story, some surprising twists I didn’t see coming, and some very strong supportive work by the great Frances McDormand and Sean Bean, among others.
So, no, it’s doesn’t belong to Theron, or the great Frances, or the screenwriters.
It belongs to Richard Jenkins, the venerable character actor who appeared in 70 movies and TV shows over the last 20 years. Here, he’s given his juiciest movie role to date, and he runs away with it. Someone, for the love of all things cinematical, give this man an Oscar.