While the beginning is a little unsteady, this is mostly an unforgettably captivating drama

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2010)

This was a very successful film based on a true story, and the lead actress, Julia Roberts, even won an Oscar for her performance here. I remember being shown over half of this biopic in my high school career studies class, since it was relevant to the subject, but do not recall seeing it all the way to the end. That was seven years ago, and three years after this "Erin Brockovich" film was released, so it has been out for ten years in total and I finally sat down to watch it from start to finish this month. Even though it took years for this to happen, and I don't think I was expecting to be able to give it a rating higher than 7/10, this 2000 drama certainly didn't fail to grab me. I guess my expectations were slightly surpassed, since I'm giving it an 8.
Erin Brockovich is a single mother who has been married and divorced twice and is now desperately searching for employment, but is having no luck, lacking the experience required for the jobs she applies for. After a failed lawsuit against a doctor who crashed into her car on the road and left her injured, she convinces her lawyer, Ed Masry, to give her a job at his law firm to make up for the loss of the case. She gets to work for Masry as a clerk in his office, but her revealing attire and aggressive demeanor lead to conflict in the workplace. After getting this job, it isn't long before she begins to investigate a real estate case involving the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in Hinkley, California. She soon discovers that the company is responsible for the contamination of the water in this town! The hexavalent chromium that they dump is going into the town's water system, leading to serious health problems for the townspeople, and PG&E has been lying about it! This leads Brockovich and her law firm into a challenging fight against a multi-billion dollar corporation to try and bring them to justice!
I'm can't remember exactly what my thoughts were as I watched this film seven years ago, but when I started watching it this month, it didn't look so great at the beginning with the job interview, but it quickly improves, perhaps starting with the part where the lawsuit fails. For the rest of the film, it's very intriguing for the most part as we watch the protagonist attempting to put an end to PG&E's crime against the people of Hinkley, and the problems she faces with her kids, her boyfriend George, her boss, and others. The film can be somewhat moving at times with scenes involving seriously ill Hinkley residents. Julia Roberts does a decent job playing the protagonist, even if her performance is not amazing, and I don't know exactly what the real Erin Brockovich is like, but the movie version of her is a short-tempered and often rude individual who also proves that she is caring and clever. Albert Finney also stands out as Ed Masry. He's an English actor and does a great American accent here. Not everything about this film is perfect, there is some fairly weak dialogue and maybe some unconvincing parts, but apart from that, I can't complain much when it comes to the film's quality.
Since this is a movie based on a true story (there's even a cameo appearance from the real Erin Brockovich-Ellis as a waitress named Julia), it doesn't surprise me that there has been controversy over how accurate it is, and some people have trashed the film for its inaccuracies, some of which I have read about. I really don't have much to say about this, but at the beginning, it does say it's BASED ON a true story, it doesn't say it IS a true story. Even if this biopic is very inaccurate, it's still a very effective and memorable film. With all the language, it's not family-friendly, and all the swearing, a lot of it coming from Julia Roberts in the lead role, is apparently the reason for the film's R rating. There are also adults who can't stand constant profanity in movies, and if you're one of them, "Erin Brockovich" is not for you, either. However, if you're old enough to watch this film AND you can take the language, you could find it to be a very satisfying drama.