Erin Brockovich (2000)

I don't know how accurate this film is to the real lawsuit, but it was played out very well, that you could understand the reason behind the lawsuit with the need of any prior knowledge. Julia Roberts did a fantastic job in portraying Erin Brockovich, which was quite different from her usual comedy romance style of acting. However, I felt there were two much emphasis on her sexual attractiveness and being a single mother with 3 kids and without a job, she seemed to have quite an unrealistic amount of wardrobe. Julia Roberts, although having a talent in talking the neighbors into signing for the lawsuit, she seemed ungrateful and rude to other people like George (Aaron Eckhart), who selflessly took care of her kids day and night. I don't know if Erin's ungratefulness was based on true story, but it seemed unnecessary and out of place. Also Erin Brockovich is dyslexic in real life which allowed her to remember phone numbers by memory, but in the movie it wasn't quite rooted except the occasional "slow-reader" reference, which adds to the confusion. Albert Finney (Ed Masry) did a great job as well all throughout the movie.Overall, I find this movie very well-done and the acting stellar. And if you were looking for another Julia Roberts comedy romance, you're in for a surprise!

I saw ERIN BROCKOVICH mere days before I saw Erin Brockovich and, while definitely worthwhile, the movie often focuses too much on the woman behind the case and not quite enough on the particulars of the case itself... much like what happened when she arrived here in wilmington, north carolina, to address 300 concerned citizens regarding Dupont's dumping of carcinogenic chemicals into the Cape Fear River (the source of drinking water for 250,000 north carolinians). Alongside a "water expert" who spouted indecipherable gobbledygook for the better part of an hour and a half, Brockovich said, in essence, that it's all up to US to get things Right (the Mayor of wilmington, who owns a construction company, didn't bother to show up at this Public Meeting- perhaps because he'd gotten wind of something that Brockovich revealed to us that night: that there's a pipeline like the infamous North Dakota Access Pipeline about to begin construction HERE, before long). Like we ain't got enough problems, already... Crack Town- wilmington- has been referred to as "Ground Zero" for the opioid epidemic in this company (the so-called "united" $tate$ of ameriKa), with a reported 13% of wilmingtonians hooked on opioids (my guesstimate is much higher- 40-50%-, based on personal interactions I've had with many of the locals over the past two decades). When I arrived here, the then-governor was in the process of accepting a bribe of half a million dollars from the local Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow them to dump Nuclear Waste into the Cape Fear River. (There was no follow-up investigation, as far as I know.) I've personally seen men openly armed with handguns in grocery stores, gyms, pawn shops and shopping mall parking lots hereabouts and the sight never fails to give me pause. The "housing" DE-Construction going on to accommodate the projected 65,000 newcomers to Crack Town over the next 10-15 years is causing even worse flooding than ever (my own used bookstore was flooded nearly 20 years ago). The bottom line: the denizens of Crack Town are up S--t Creek, without a paddle... News of some small comfort: Brockovich also told us that all of the water fountains in Washington have DON'T DRINK THE WATER! THE WATER IS POISON! signs on them. At least we're not alone...

The movie starts with a man's words on a black screen, the next frame shifts and focuses on Julia Roberts beautiful face heavy with baby blue eye shadow and big voluminous hair. You almost believe you're watching Pretty Woman, but you'd be mistaken! Julia Roberts is Erin Brockovich in the biographical movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Susannah Grant. This movie tells the story of the people from Hinkley, California in the San Bernardino County and how Erin Brockovich unlocked the secret to Hinkley's many unfortunate health issues. The story of Erin Brockovich is by far an interesting one. It is a story about a strong, motivated, and driven woman who never took no for an answer. Erin Brockovich is a single mother of three who has been kicked down and hit with misfortune after misfortune. After leaving a disappointing and discouraging job interview, Erin gets hit by a rich asshole zooming through a red light. Seeking compensation from the reckless driver, she ends up in Ed Masry's office in search of lawyer. My 8/10 rating stems from the great performances done by the actors, the amazing wardrobe and costume department, and the great directing. It is no secret that a good movie and a good director go hand in hand. Director Steven Soderbergh did a fantastic job at creating a film that depicted Erin Brockovichs' life and the Hinkley Water Crisis on screen in an easy going and realistic manner. The characters were likable unlike other "underdogs" that annoy the audience because we just know things would work out for them eventually. I was rooting for Erin and I was rooting for Hinkley.

Although filmed sixteen years ago, Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) was and is the modern day "badass" persona that every woman secretly has dwelling inside of her. No filter for her language or sense of professional style, Erin is headstrong, determined, self-motivated, and frankly could not care less about the opinions of others. Based on a true story, I would give the film 3.5 stars and describe it as a drama comedy. Set in Los Angles and Hickley, California, Erin serves as both an inspiration and real life story of the American dream, motivating the viewers that with passion and hard work, anything can be achieved. Erin's cry for financial desperation and her unique sense of humor is portrayed in the opening scene of the film where she is applying to a medical job that she clearly has no experience in, but this shows how much Erin is unafraid of rejection and humiliation. Erin's strong confidence stems from her ability to have raised three children without the support of a man, and it is her confidence that allows her to poke her nose where most people wouldn't dare to. Erin's life is shown as a plummeting spiral that one can do nothing but empathize with or simply laugh at- Erin has no income, three young children, no money in her bank account, a neck brace, and an attitude that has got her nothing but trouble. Simple activities like feeding her children or even just being in the house are over intensified because Erin is so dissatisfied with her life. Erin finally lands a job in Ed Masry's (Albert Finney) office, which is the first positive change in her soon to be completely different life. She seems out of place and disliked, but that doesn't stop her from earning her place of respect. Erin's relationship with Masry turns from disgust and hatred to a fulfilling, meaningful friendship while also being business partners. Erin's stance for her originality and blunt difference from the other personas in the movie is what makes her such a fascinating protagonist. Even when Masry asks her to rethink her wardrobe, Erin shoots back at him with "maybe you should rethink your ties." A love interest occurs, like in all Hollywood dramas, but her boldness aids her in shooting down the bearded biker neighbor by the name of George (Aaron Eckhart) that would like to be more than just neighbors, even though love is the last thing on Erin's mind. Her bluntness is what makes her such an attention grabber and has people listen to what she has to say even though she has no formal professional schooling and acts far from how an employee would act in a law firm. Erin stumbles upon the records of Donna Jensen, who lives in Hinkley, and is perplexed as to why Donna's medical records are included in her real estate files. Finding this odd and unsettling, Erin takes this task into her own hands. Erin's personal search for Donna turns into something more than just completing her regular reception job, it becomes a passionate obsession that Erin is determined to get to the bottom of. Erin sets out to determine the significance and relevance of the medical records that were correlated with other real estate files. It's not obvious what exactly ignited the passion and concern in Erin to set out on her own to investigate these random real estate files, but this curiosity begins a long journey to attempt to provide justice to the residence of a small town in Hinkley, California. With the help of her wit and feminine beauty, Erin is able to dig through the water records of a notorious company by the name of PG & E, which may have something to do with the health of the residences surrounding the town of Hickley.As Erin's care for the families of Hickley grows deeper, her own personal life becomes more significant, fulfilling, and mature. Erin develops a deep and true care for the lives and well being of these people, no longer for a need of financial desperation, but for a need to do good unto others that have been unluckily touched by the illegal doings of big money companies. Erin gets to know the residences of Hickley on a far personal level and induces pathos in the audience. The film is not a full five star rating because although it's interesting it is just not a film that I would re-watch years from now or highly recommend to a friend. Although, it does accurately depict and raise awareness to the true events that happened in Hickley, there were many parts that caused me to be disengaged. Overall, the film is much more dramatic than the average documentary but allows the audience to be inspired by the determination of Erin Brockovich to do what's right while also improving her life.