Review: Erin Brockovich

Another movie that got added to the list based on Oscar-winning performances. I love those lists that AFI and different magazines publish from time to time - top 100 movies, top 100 performances, etc. Like lists of classic books that you're "supposed" to have read, I like using those lists as starting points to expand my little world. One of those "Hey, I liked that movie, and didn't think I would have. Maybe I'll like another of that director/writer/actor/genre" sorts of things.

Zach likes dramas and real-life stories, so he made sure it was higher on the list, too. ;) So, here you are: Erin Brockovich.

It's a simple David v. Goliath story, really. Erin Brockovich is a single mother of 3, recently employed as a file clerk by a law firm. In filing some real estate paperwork, she discovers some medical evidence in the file as well, and begins investigating. This work leads to an enormous law suit against the power company whose plant in the town was leaking toxic metals into groundwater. A simple plot, but a very well done movie.

The focus of the movie was really more on the work that was done, not the actual trials - a refreshing twist for Hollywood. We got much more of the research and door-to-door aspects of the case, instead of courtroom scenes dragging on and on.

The writing is alright. Erin's a bit fouler-mouthed than what would be believable in real life (what job would put up with such tantrums, and what mother cusses so much in front of her kids??), but Roberts is good with the passionate, street-wise sort of characters. Oh, and I know the focus was on Erin as the main character, but her sharp tongue did get a little tiring sometimes. She definitely had some good lines in the movie, but there were stretches when it was several scenes of her sharp lines and people's reactions, and that was about it. I have the same frustrations with some sitcoms, too, come to think of it. Good lines should be spread around characters, in my opinion.

The casting was superbly done. Julia Roberts did a very good job with the character. Erin's not an idealist or do-gooder - she's actually abrasive and antagonistic and foul-mouthed, an unusual heroine. Roberts (of whom I'm really not a fan) did a very good job with the role. We see Erin's conflicts and frustrations and triumphs played out very well. She's really the character that holds the whole story together. Well, she and Ed Masry (Albert Finney's role). I have to say - I love Albert Finney!! So subtle in his characterizations. He's wonderful to watch as he deals with Erin's mood swings and tantrums and successes against the system. His reason and logic balances out Erin's passionate outbursts beautifully He was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar for that role, and he definitely deserved it. I haven't seen Traffic, so I can't compare Finney's role to Benicio Del Toro's performance (he was the one who won that year), but I bet it was a close race!

Steven Soderbergh is a great director, and I'm noticing I like his movies more and more. This was beautifully directed. Takes a nice touch to make an environmental contamination case into watchable entertainment, but this was handled well. I knew I liked Ocean's Eleven, but I'm finding more movies of Soderbergh's that I like too. And 2000 was a great year for him - 2 Oscar-nominated directing performances (Traffic and Erin Brockovich - Traffic won the Oscar) and 3 Oscar-nominated parts (Julia Roberts, Albert Finney and Benicio Del Toro) with 2 wins! Gotta keep my eyes out for more of his work coming up!

I think the only aspect I didn't really like was George, Erin's boyfriend. I realize he was necessary to show all aspects of Erin's life at the time, and Aaron Eckhart did a good job with the role, but it just seemed unnecessary to the story at times. So much of the rest of the story was involved with the job and the case, that the romance seemed out of place at times. A little objection, but that's how it felt.

Oh, and Robert's wardrobe. Yes, she's supposed to dress like a... well, like she did in Pretty Woman, let's put it that way. But (and I know I'm being petty here), that's a LOT of different mini-skirts for a woman with 16 dollars in the bank. Just a pettiness on my part, but that was a bunch of different costumes to establish what could have been done with about half as much.

Some neat trivia about the movie:

• Most of the extras playing the plaintiffs in the case (the scenes at the barbecue and the town meeting) actually WERE plaintiffs from Hinkley.
• Eric Brockovich had a cameo as a waitress in an early scene. In the DVD extras, she described it as an out-of-body experience, watching a scene from her life as an observer.
• The judge in the Barstow courtroom scene is the judge from the actual hearing. He had retired, but came out of retirement to appear in the movie.
• Aspects of the story not in the movie, but seen in the deleted scenes: Erin actually got sick to the point of hospitalization from the Cr at Hinkley, and was also dyslexic. Both of these are underplayed in the main movie, but you can see the scenes in the DVD extras. Makes her accomplishments all that much more incredible.
  

Overall: 5 of 5. Not one I want on my shelf, but a very well done movie. Beautifully directed, and good performances from the leads make it a worthwile watch. Just not one I'd watch time and again.

Oh, yeah, and for anyone who thought I was exaggerating about how desolate it is out here, watch this movie. Hinkley is right outside Barstow (there's actually scenes in the Barstow courthouse), putting it at about 45-50 minutes from where we live. And, this was actually filmed on location here in the High Desert. Just watch the movie, but look at the background as you do. You'll see - I'm not exaggerating a bit!