Summary
When people think of the actor Elijah Wood, usually, the first thought isLord of the Rings, but before starring in the iconic franchise, Wood had a role in a 90s comedy/fantasyfilm that didn’t go down too well at all with critics, especially Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert, who slammed the film hard. However, as it turns out, Wood loved his time on the Rob Reiner-directed movie, which was based on a 1984 novel, and now audiences can watch it for free to make their own minds up about it.
Elijah Wood, who played the iconic hobbit of the Shire who inherited the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo Baggins and started the whole adventure off, was only 18 years old when he touched down in New Zealand to begin filming for the movie. After many years of seeing his character on a quest to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, Wood knows a thing or two about what makes a great movie. Previously, Wood thought thatTim Burton’s version of the beloved children’s story,Charlieandthe Chocolate Factory,which starred Johnny Depp, “destroyed the book and destroyed the original film,” referring to the 1971 movieWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factorystarring Gene Wilder. However, now, Wood has revealed the movie that he really enjoyed starring in and that everyone else seemingly hated.
Elijah Wood’s Favorite Childhood Performance Was Hated by Film Critics
Speaking toComicBookat San Diego Comic-Con 2025 to promote hisupcoming movieThe Toxic Avenger, Elijah Wood revealed that the film he is most proud of is his part in the 1994 Rob Reiner-directed movie North.“I haven’t seen this in a long time, but I had such a fun time making it,” Wood stated. “It was much-maligned at the time. Famously, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel hated it.” The film revolves around eleven-year-old North, who grows tired of being largely ignored by his parents, who are too occupied with their own lives to care about him. Finally, having had enough of their lack of care, North files a lawsuit against them, with the judge giving him the option of finding new parents, leading the young boy to take off on a globe-trotting adventure to find grown-ups who will look after him.
When Wood mentioned thatNorthwas “much-maligned”, he wasn’t joking. It was even stated as one of Rob Reiner’s worst films, and itsRotten Tomatoesscore of 14% pretty much proves its point without too many words. However,film critic Roger Ebert went the extra mile on how he felt aboutNorth, saying that he “hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it,” which is a very strong comment. Even though the movie was a commercial failure, it stars a great line-up of famous actors like Bruce Willis, Jon Lovitz, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and even a young Scarlett Johansson making her big screen debut at only nine years old.
For those who would like to check out the film themselves and see what all the fuss is about,Northis streaming right now for free on Tubi.
