Erin Brockovich (2000)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Story: Susannah Grant
Cast: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart 
Music: Thomas Newman
Time: 130 minutes
Bottom-line: A bravura performance by Julia Roberts

I wanted to see this film, mainly to get a taste of Steven Soderbergh, as many consider this to be one of his best films. But after seeing, the only thing that remains in my mind is the outstanding performance by Julia Roberts, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. The film is a biopic on the legal clerk, Erin Brockovich, who fought against the energy corporation PG&E. Albert Finney and Aaron Eckhart co-star.

1993 – Erin Brockovich (Roberts) is a single mother of three, whose explosive behaviour in a courtroom loses her a case. Feeling bad for Erin, her lawyer, Ed Masry (Finney) decides to give her employment in his office. She is given files regarding a real-estate case, where the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has offered to buy a house in Hinkley, California. The owner’s family has suffered from a series of various diseases, and for some reason, PG&E has always paid for the medical expenses. When asked why, the own replies “because of the chromium”. As Erin researches further, she finds out that the waters of Hinkley are severely contaminated with hexavalent chromium, and none of the residents seems to be aware of it. How Erin manages to fight against the multi-billion dollar corporate to win the case forms the reminder of the film.

Julia Roberts as Erin

The story isn't the best aspect about the film... the pace is all right, but I felt it could have been told in a better manner. Soderbergh tries to focus equally on both the legal case and Erin’s personal problems, and at times, the track dealing with the latter aspect drags. I can’t comment on authenticity i.e. how accurately the film portrays the life of the real Erin Brockovich, as I had no idea of who she was until I saw the film. But the film gets really interesting only in the second half, when Erin puts in all her effort to somehow win the case.

Albert Finney as Ed Masry

The film would have almost been a useless one had anyone else other than Julia Roberts played the role of Erin. No one can beautifully portray so many emotions – the struggle of a single mother, the hard-work of a lawyer, the determination to win a case, and the hope and faith that she can defeat anyone, even a multi-billion dollar company. The scene where Erin recites all the details of one of the plaintiffs (indicating that she remembers all the details of all the plaintiffs by-heart!) is one of the best scenes in the film, for it shows how much of work Erin has done to win the case. This is truly one of the most powerful performances I have even seen, by an actress. Julia Roberts later won the Oscar, BAFTA and became the first actress to win the five major acting awards for a single performance. Albert Finney has also given a strong performance, and Aaron Eckhart does well.

Aaron Eckhart as George - Erin's boyfriend 

Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich is pretty much a one-woman show, but the director has done well to make the most of good acting and an okay-ish story into a good film. The acting is pretty much the only standout, but there’s nothing really bad about the film – a biopic about a person like Erin Brockovich can only be made this way. The film provides decent entertainment, but don’t expect too much.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 84%