The Movie So Bad, Roger Ebert Wished Everyone an Eternity of Watching It!
Ever wonder what movie could make a legendary film critic lose his cool in the most spectacular way possible? We're talking about the one and only Roger Ebert, a man whose words could make or break a film, and whose wit was as sharp as a newly sharpened pencil. While he praised countless cinematic masterpieces, he also had a knack for demolishing the truly terrible. And folks, there was one movie that he absolutely, positively, unequivocally detested above all others.
Get ready to cringe and maybe even chuckle, because we're talking about the 1994 flick simply titled North. Yep, just North. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong! This movie, directed by the usually brilliant Rob Reiner (of The Princess Bride and Stand by Me fame!), had a shockingly star-studded cast. We're talking young Elijah Wood as the titular North, with heavy hitters like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Bates, and even Bruce Willis popping up in various wacky roles.
The plot? Young North, feeling unappreciated by his parents, decides to "divorce" them and embark on a global quest to find new, better parents. Sounds like a quirky family adventure, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. It was... something else.
Ebert's review of North became the stuff of legend. He didn't just dislike it; he HATED it with an intensity that could melt steel. His review opened with the now-iconic line: "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. My hatred for this movie is so pure, so unadulterated, so uncompromised, that it rises to the level of art." ART! He literally said his hatred was art!
He didn't stop there. Ebert called it "one of the most egregiously wrongheaded movies in movie history" and essentially wished eternal damnation upon anyone involved with its creation, suggesting they should spend "eternity in a screening room, being forced to watch North over and over again." Ouch! Talk about a critical smackdown!
Even Rob Reiner, the director, reportedly joked about wanting to hire a hitman after reading that review. That's how legendary (and devastating) Ebert's take on North was.
So, while North might have faded into obscurity for many, it lives on in the annals of film history as the movie that provoked one of the greatest, most hilariously vitriolic reviews ever written. It's a reminder that sometimes, even with a dream team behind and in front of the camera, a movie can just... miss the mark in the most spectacular way imaginable. And sometimes, a legendary critic's passionate hatred can be more entertaining than the film itself!
Original Article Inspiration: https://www.slashfilm.com/2155835/roger-ebert-worst-movie-ever-north-review/