Erin Brockovich (2000)

Don't Believe the Hype

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Erin Brockovich is a modern-day David vs. Goliath story with a few notable exceptions. The villainous behemoth in this version is a faceless corporate conglomerate. The hero is a sassy, brassy, less-than-classy female with a prominently featured chassis. In the basic elements of the story line, this is a story we have heard before. The crusader vs. the corporation is a dominant theme in The China Syndrome, A Civil Action, and this year's Oscar nominee The Insider. The version where the "good guy" is a female working-class hero is the basic theme of Norma Rae and Silkwood. Like these latter films, Erin Brockovich is based on a real character and a real-life incident.Erin Brockovich is a twice-divorced mother with kids who finagles her way into a job working for the lawyer who lost her case in a civil trial. Erin is feisty, determined, independent, and mouthy. These very traits that get her into trouble with co-workers, friends, and family members are the traits that prove to be her greatest assets as a secretary turned paralegal. What makes the character sympathetic is her caring. She does not always show it well, but beneath the tough exterior is a woman with a heart of gold who cares deeply about her kids and is passionately committed to the families affected by corporate neglect.Julia Roberts is well-suited for the "brassy broad with a heart-of-gold" role. Consider her past performances in Pretty Woman (hooker with a heart of gold), Notting Hill (superstar with a heart of gold), and My Best Friend's Wedding (scheming, conniving, two-faced backstabber with a heart of gold). How could she miss?What distinguishes this film from films like Norma Rae or Silkwood however, is the witty script by screenwriter Susannah Grant. Grant was the screenwriter for Pocahantas, Ever After, and 28 Days. What these films have in common is strong-willed independent female characters. Here the synthesis of Brockovich's character, Grant's writing, and Julia Roberts' persona all work together like a charm. The best way to turn an old formula into a good film is through distinctive characters. The characters and their relationships are the real heart of this film.As a result, the film is much lighter in tone than Norma Rae or Silkwood. There are moments of high drama, but the film really shines in its humor and wit. Albert Finney is delightful as Ed Masry, Erin's boss. Julia Roberts turns in what may prove to be the best performance of her career as a working-class mom who refuses to stay down for the count. Director Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, The Limey) handles the material well and the pacing of the film is nearly perfect.Corporate neglect will become an increasingly important topic as evidenced by events in Seattle last year. By some estimates, there may be as many as 100,000 deaths per year (four times the homicide rate) as a result of "corporate crime." Erin Brockovich manages to raise the issue in a context that is neither preachy nor smug. But in the end this is not an issue film, but a character study, and what a character she is! Both thumbs up for Erin Brockovich.

Julia Roberts is not my favorite actress. She has hung on to a star that was sort of thrust on her from a movie that is not all that great, "Pretty Woman." This, supposedly, established an edginess for her, though her character had literally no connection to a true prostitute. With all that said, I think she did fine in this film. I know that some have said that this has all been done before. So crusading for people victimized by humorless industrial entities has been done before. The strength, however, is in the specifics. Brokavich, a real person, found herself in the midst of a nasty situation. She makes a discovery that sets in motion a huge lawsuit where she is put to the test.

This film is very slightly based on a real case of environmental pollution, where a small community processed a factory because of the pollution and the diseases that it caused. Erin Brockovich (whom Julia Roberts brought to life) is a single, unemployed mother who comes across this process by chance, while working (almost by favor) in a law firm. Julia Roberts has had, in this film, one of the most remarkable works of her career to date, along with "Notting Hill". She is a talented actress, who filled with spirit and personality a character who needed a point of irreverence and temper. At her side was Albert Finney in the role of Ed Masry, the law firm's chief partner, who accepts (reluctantly and suspiciously) Erin's help in resolving what promises to be the most important legal case of his career. The film does not hesitate to portray the polluting firm in the worst possible way, in a not inconsiderate and certainly premeditated criticism of the large US corporations, that rarely put environmental and health concerns at the top of their priorities. In this sense, the film, which never abandons the comic and entertainment side, takes a strongly interventionist stance, seeking to alert consciences and draw the attention to the situation portrayed, and some analogous situations that still continue to persist. The film also gives some importance to the so-called "anonymous heroes", which Erin symbolizes in a way, and that often make the difference when all other people choose to ignore the problem or let the authorities figure it all out. The cinematography emphasizes the warm and vibrant tones, which reinforces the sensation of heat passed by the filming locations and the garish prints of Erin's clothes, clothes that help the character to clearly assumes her popular and very humble condition.This movie is far from a thriller or a police movie. It's an entertainment film that has been made for the families, but with a huge desire to alert consciences to environmental and health concerns, which it always approaches in a light but determined way.

Based on a true story of tenacity and humble beginnings, this film follows Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) in her stiletto-clad stumble through the challenges of scraping by to pay bills, raising her children and catering to the whims of whiny boyfriends. It is clear from the beginning what a haphazard balancing act Brockovich's life is, opening on her painfully awkward attempts to make a good impression through an unsuccessful job interview, where we learn that she is an unemployed single mother of three. Wallowing in her defeat only long enough to smoke a single cigarette, she makes her way back to her old orange car, which has since acquired a parking ticket, and almost predictably is T-boned at an intersection minutes after leaving.The ways in which life is stacked against Brockovich are revealed gradually through her meeting with a lawyer in order to sue the driver that hit her, and later the disastrous cross examination in which her fiery temper and colorful diction cost her the jury's sympathy and her chances of winning any reparations for her pain and suffering. In her impatience at the defense lawyer's suggestion that she saw his wealthy client as an opportunity to capitalize on a lawsuit, it is clear that she is familiar with the ways in which power dynamics sway to favor the opposite of everything she embodies. Now confronted with the failure of her lawsuit, Brockovich is set back further than before, and forced to be even more driven and resourceful in her methods of obtaining her next paycheck. In this desperation, she turns back to her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), demanding a job at the law firm in a grand show of shouting and refusal to leave, expressing that he owes her something for false promises and the failed lawsuit that left her in even more debt. When it becomes clear that Brockovich will not take no for an answer, Masry offers her a position as a file clerk. It is in the midst of this tedious paperwork that she discovers suspicious details of what was supposed to be a simple real estate case, which sends her on an investigation of a scheme bigger than she could have imagined.While the film was inspired by the story of how Brockovich investigates the ethics of the insidious corporation Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and touches on the intricate workings of the legal system, its strength lies in how deeply it appeals to the viewer's emotion, strategically taking the time to zero in on the struggles Brockovich faces in her personal life in order to humanize her, when on the job her abrasive personality could otherwise be off-putting. In the face of poverty, motherhood and romantic entanglements, it is clear how she grew to project a tough exterior for the sake of survival.Brockovich's home life is one device used often to make her more accessible to the audience, revealing the tension with her young children over the long hours she must work, and her dilemma between helping the families she represents in her case or focusing on her own family. A defining moment illustrating the struggle she faces as a mother is in an argument with her boyfriend (Aaron Eckhart), who feels that he is being neglected for her work and taking too much responsibility in caring for her children. In a decision rarely made in fictional stories, Brockovich chooses to prioritize her work over her romantic relationship, a powerful choice challenging the familiar trope of a woman realizing that love is more important than her ambition. This is a powerful, pivotal moment in the film.This film is more impressive than most in its portrayal of womanhood, Brockovich embodying a conglomeration of qualities which fictional accounts rarely conflate. It should not be groundbreaking to present a strong and intelligent female character who also has children and on top of this wears short skirts and high heels, but few other films with this type of character come to mind. And perhaps it is solely for the sake of remaining faithful to the true story on which this is based that her character was created with such dimension. Unfortunately, the other female characters in this film are disappointingly pigeonholed into familiar roles, deliberately contrasting with Brockovich in myriad ways only as a means to further glorify her and set her apart. There are the other women at the law firm who are mostly frumpy and overweight, and seem to regard Brockovich negatively based only on her fashion sense or out of envy. This reproduces the familiar but apocryphal idea that women are in constant competition with one another rather than being allies. There are the victimized clients she helps: rural, married and ignorant mothers who play the sympathetic characters. Then there is the other female lawyer, who, in spite of being on her side of the case, is portrayed as uptight and snobbish, unsuccessful in her attempts to connect with the working class community that the firm represents.This is the story of an underdog, a representative of a stigmatized group in our society: a single mother, twice divorced, and poor. Above all of this, she is unapologetic in her femininity, refusing to be shamed for her opinions, clothing choices or pursuit of justice. Although it has its weaknesses in succumbing to an uncomfortable number of clichés, the film weaves a heartfelt tale of determination and navigating the gray areas between work and personal life as a woman. I am confident that anyone more emotional than me (read: anyone) would have minimal critique of this evocative combination of comedy and drama, which culminates to a tear-jerking resolution, even more impactful given the fact that it is based on true events. In spite of a few shortcomings and my own nitpicking critiques, I would rate this film highly and recommend it.