Erin Brockovich
Directed
by Steven Soderbergh
Written
by Susannah Grant
Starring
Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, and Marg Helgenberger
130
minutes. Rated R. Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. 2000.
I
really don't like Julia Roberts.
I think
she's a capable actress, but frankly, I'm sick of her. She gets way too
much press, and she plays the same character in 
every
single movie she's in. Plus, she seems, for some reason, to be wildly
popular (especially with the editors at Entertainment Weekly --
the sappy shit they write about her makes me just want to puke), and I
just don't see why.
But.
But I
really liked her in Erin Brockovich. For once, she wasn't Julia
Roberts. She was the character she was supposed to be portraying. I didn't
look at her in this film and think "Julia." I looked at her and thought
"Erin." How much of that is due to Roberts' growth as an actress, and how
much is due to the fact that she was working with one of the more brilliant
directors out there today, I couldn't say. But the result is a film that
revisits an old plot, but does so in a fresh and exciting way.
Erin
Brockovich is your typical David and Goliath story, with the little
crusader going up against the big corporation, a la The Rainmaker
or A Civil Action. But thanks to a script that focuses more on the
crusader than the crusade, and thanks to another slick directing job from
Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, The Limey), it's easy to overlook
the fact that, while this is based on a true story, it's not one we haven't
seen before. Erin Brockovich, a gutter-mouthed mother of three who bullied
her way into a job as a filing clerk at a small legal firm, discovers that
PG & E lied to the residents of a small California town, telling them
that a substance used in their nearby plant is actually beneficial to their
health, when in fact it's been killing them all since the sixties. Erin
sets out to gather enough proof to force PG & E to pay up, and we get
the impression that when Erin sets out to do something, it gets done, one
way or the other. The script delivers, with strong characterizations and
great dialogue.
Soderbergh, one of my favorite directors, breathes new life into this tired
old story. His direction and editing aren't as funky as they were in his
last two films, which is understandable, considering that his last two
films were of a much more funky nature than this one. But his style is
still evident, and his camerawork and lighting, along with the ability
to coax spirited, believable performances from his actors, make this a
vibrant and fun film. Plus, we've got yet another terrific score
from the peerless Thomas Newman (American Beauty, The Shawshank Redemption),
whose sparse yet haunting score makes the film flow even smoother than
it would have with just Soderbergh's touch.
And yes,
Julia Roberts does a great job here, as does the terrific supporting cast,
including Marg Helgenberger (TV's China Beach, The Tommyknockers),
Aaron Eckhart (Any Given Sunday, In The Company Of Men), and Albert
Finney (Breakfast of Champions, Annie). They all give vibrant, spirited
performances that, again, help you to forget that this plot has been done
again and again and again.
This
is a good, solid film. I've come to expect something a little more inventive
from Soderbergh, but he apparently was attracted to the story, and he did
a great job with what he had. The actors turned in top-notch performances,
the pacing was fast, and the dialogue was fun and realistic. Only real
problem is the overused story.
Bottom line: The story's nothing new, but Soderbergh and Roberts breathe
life into it.
My grade:
A -
My advice:
Check it out at the matinee, but definitely check it out.
Get the movie
poster!
