Review of Erin Brockovich (2000) by Harry W — 12 Nov 2013

Director Steven Soderbergh has a complicated story to tell in Erin Brockovich, but luckily with his intelligence and smarts as a film director, be brings the story to life.

His direction is clever because among other things he makes viewers able to see Erin Brockovich as a passionate person as well as being a woman, because a lot of people could only see her as the latter. Steven Soderbergh gives us an understanding of the person she is and the person people see her as by having Julia Roberts act her heart out and dress in somewhat revealing clothing, and it creates a firm balance which establishes the realism of the story and the person that Erin Brockovich really is. He even manages to sneak some comedic elements in there, because the way many of the characters respond t some of Erin's aggressive behaviour is sometimes pretty funny. For instance in the scene where Erin walks out of Ed Masry's office after being fired, Conchata Ferrell makes a shocked facial gesture as a reaction to her behaviour which is quite funny. He makes sure that it's a well structured, well directed and well written story, and it succeeds in all three areas thanks to him.

But Julia Roberts' performance as the titular woman is the best reason anyone can see Erin Brockovich for. Julia Roberts finds the perfect balance between playing an angry single mother and a determined woman in Erin Brockovich, because her swift and skilful line delivery is as if that of a lawyer, but her real passion comes from being a human being. But no matter what happens in the story, she never loses sight of the fact that her role as a mother is important and that it's what she truly loves. She keeps the story functioning, moving and developing, and its surely the finest of her career.

Albert Finney also does his finest in years through his portrayal of Ed Masry as both a well intentioned yet troubled lawyer, and he give Julia Roberts just the right edge to work with.

Aaron Eckhart is awesome to see in Erin Brockovich because he's so early on in his career and looks like someone from Easy Rider, and his character is just a really nice guy. The way he dresses is groovy and gives off the sense that he is a free spirit, and that's exactly the kind of figure that Erin needs to help her through the difficult world she has ended up in. He adds sufficient drama to the story and makes a strong breakthrough.

One issue is that the story puts so much focus into what Erin Brockovich is doing to help people and why she is doing it that it more-or-less loses focus on what the issue actually is. The focus on the fact that the stand is for the people of a small town takes back seat to the fact that its for the sake of a woman and her pride, and that loses concept of what the big picture is and brings it down to being a story not about the triumph of justice, but the triumph of a woman. That and the fact that the general tone in the second half became somewhat predictable and lacked the dramatic power that the buildup of the first half consisted of, and from there it sort of became just another Hollywood story. A good one nonetheless, but a basic one.

Still, Erin Brockovich is a powerful tale which matches Academy Award nominated direction from Steven Soderbergh with Academy Award winning acting from Julia Roberts.