Erin Brockovich

2000 "She brought a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees."
7.4| 2h11m| R| en
Details

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

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Reviews

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
plainpatrickatyahoodotcom See Skyfall, and this title, for proof. It has been a long time since Tom Jones, Albert. Well done.Erin Brockovich is a class A, realistic portrayal of a young woman's, (Julia Roberts'),fight for a small town whose drinking water supply has been tainted by big business. Erin has NO experience in law, yet as a struggling mother of young children, with a live in boyfriend (Aaron Eckhart) she fights her way to the top, or does she? There are so many obstacles. Well, you need to see the film.NB Albert Finney fans this is a must see.
nzpedals It doesn't take long to realise that this is a great movie. Everything looks so real, and so it should seeing that it is a true(ish) story, but all the minor roles have great actors too. There are lots of instances where little mannerisms make it real. My guess is that Erin wrote most of the dialogue?Besides the real Brockavich, the real Ed Masry comes on the DVD bonus, and shows how good the casting of Albert Finney, and his acting, are and how much he contributed to the successful outcome of EB's efforts. Ed is so tolerant of Erin's apparent disregard for the norms of a legal practice, it is a bit hard to accept that he is for real! But he must have been. Also on the DVD is Erin (the real one) saying how surreal is the 30-second scene where she is the waitress, and then Julia saying that it is about "inhabiting the concept, not imitating". So true, and that is what makes really great actors, ie, JR.The story of corporate carelessness and a small-town lady who found out that the water was contaminated and decided to do something about it in spite of heavy lawyers who do whatever the client says, might give others the incentive to do their own action? 'hope so.Although this is a huge legal battle, there is very little of that shown - good idea, courtroom stuff can be so boring and irrelevant. We do see the judge deliver a judgement on a procedural matter, that is all that matters, and the no doubt long legal arguments are ignored all together. Good.
oOoBarracuda As much as I try, and as much as I appreciate the movies she's in and the roles she takes on, I am simply not a fan of Julia Roberts'. Steven Soderbergh's 2002 feature Erin Brockovich was another good role for the star Roberts, but just one I couldn't sink my teeth into. Along with Roberts, Albert Finney also stars as the unlikely duo that brings down a multi-million dollar water corporation. The story of a single mother of three who will stop at nothing to provide for her kids and the vulnerable people she encounters is one that has settled into the hearts of audiences years after its release.Single mother, Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is unemployed and desperate for a job. When she unsuccessfully pursues an insurance claim in which she was hit, she stumbles upon the notion that she could start working at the legal office that was chosen to represent her. Thankfully for Erin, she encounters Ed Masry, an overworked kind-hearted lawyer that gives Erin a chance to work for his law office. Ostracized from the office for her revealing wardrobe, Erin must learn the ropes of the law office herself, having no legal background or experience. Throughout her research, Erin stumbles upon many inconsistencies in retail deeds and health records. Once she is granted permission from Ed to further investigate the inconsistencies, Erin uncovers that powerful California water company, PG&E have been dumping toxic chemicals into the ground water sources in Hinkley California. When more and more residents are diagnosed with illnesses corresponding with the effects of the chemical being dumped into the water source, Erin brings the issues to Ed's attention and the two voraciously go after the water company, resulting in the largest class-action lawsuits in American history, at the time. Nothing too innovative happens throughout the film, Erin Brockovich, and it doesn't have to, the story is compelling enough to drive the issue for the audience. I wish I could have seen this movie before the water crisis in Flint, Michigan; I think I have been desensitized to the thought that financial gain could encourage a corporation to poison a water supply. Regardless, this film portrays a nice David v. Goliath where we get to see an endearing couple of Davids beat the monster.
sgrewe-84422 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.