Summaries

Sick of being neglected by his parents, a young boy leaves home and travels the world in search of new parents.

Eleven-year-old North has had it with his parents. They are always busy with their careers and don't give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules that North should either find new parents or return to his own parents within two months. Thus North starts off on a hilarious journey around the world to find the parents who really care about him.—Peter Huiskes <[email protected]>

North, age 11, excels in almost everything he does, and as such is appreciated by everyone he knows--except his parents, who are too absorbed in their own lives to pay North any attention. This neglect leads to North starting to suffer in all his activities. Feeling that there is a more supportive life for him somewhere else, North, with the support of his best friend Winchell and ambulance-chasing lawyer Arthur Belt, goes about legally divorcing himself from his parents. The judge's July 1 ruling is that he is giving North the ability to do so, but that he must be in the arms of his chosen parents by 12:00 on Labor Day, or else be sent to live in an orphanage. So North travels the globe auditioning one set of potential parents after another, learning life lessons along the way, usually being watched over by a guardian angel who first appears to him in the form of a shopping-center Easter Bunny. As North discards those potential parents pair by pair, he is unaware of what is happening back at home, where Winchell, with Bent by his side, is working on his own agenda, blocking North's parents from contacting him, the result possibly being to relegate North to an orphanage for the remainder of his childhood.—Huggo

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had different parents? A boy named North did, and this is his story. Unhappy that his parents pay no attention to him or his talents, the child prodigy, aided by his friend Winchell and ambulance-chasing lawyer Arthur Belt, legally "divorces" himself from his parents. Surprisingly, the judge rules in his favor on July 1, but if he doesn't find new parents or return to his old ones by noon on Labor Day, he will be sent to an orphanage. North embarks on a worldwide quest to find the perfect parents who will appreciate him for who he is, not realizing that Winchell and Belt are looking to sabotage him and ruin his potentially happy ending.—asbwtw

Details

Keywords
  • argument
  • adoption
  • courtroom
  • whistling
  • child prodigy
Genres
  • Adventure
  • Comedy
  • Fantasy
  • Drama
  • Family
Release date Jul 21, 1994
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) PG
Countries of origin United States
Language English
Filming locations Caldwell, New Jersey, USA
Production companies Columbia Pictures New Line Cinema Castle Rock Entertainment

Box office

Budget $40000000
Gross US & Canada $7182747
Opening weekend US & Canada $3036050
Gross worldwide $7182747

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 27m
Color Color
Sound mix Dolby Digital SDDS
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

All Filters