The Best Performance I've Seen From Julia Roberts

Rating: 7/10 (31 March 2012)

I have to right off confess that I'm not a huge fan of Julia Roberts. As an actress I think she's OK but not much more than that, and I personally don't think she's the raving beauty that a lot of people think she is. That, of course, is merely a matter of personal taste on my part, but perhaps it makes my assessment of her work in "Erin Brockovich" even more interesting. I really liked her in this! I have no argument at all with her Oscar for this role! I thought that she really got into the part of Erin and seemed to nail it - and I'm impressed by the fact that the real Erin Brockovich was involved with this film and even played a small role in it as a waitress - thus suggesting that she, too, felt that the portrayal of her was fair. In fact, on her website, the real Erin says that the movie is 98% true, with some dramatic licence taken in the other 2%. That was important for me to know, because, while Erin is the hero in this, it's not an altogether flattering portrayal of her, especially in the movie's early stages. Somewhat trashy I would say. Uneducated (which is actually not accurate), unemployed, foul-mouthed and living as a single mom to her three kids in a bug-infested home, her prospects don't appear very promising. But after being involved in a car accident, she hired lawyer Ed Masry (Albert Finney, who was also quite good in his role) to sue the other driver. Masry loses the case but apparently out of guilt hires her on at his law firm. Erin becomes involved in a case against a large corporation accused of causing serious health problems to residents around its plant by polluting the water with chemicals, and the movie follows the development of that case.
Yes. I liked Roberts, and I liked Erin Brockovich - both the movie and the person as portrayed. This is a classic "underdog overcomes" story. Erin obviously grows in confidence and ability as the movie progresses, and as she has to fight for recognition and respect from the families involved in the lawsuit, her fellow employees at the law firm and the various lawyers she has to deal with. At the same time, we see her struggle with the cost involved with all this - an increasingly distant relationship with her children because she's away a lot due to the case, and her inability to maintain a relationship with her neighbour George (Aaron Eckhardt) - who loves her but is increasingly resentful that she seems to view him as little more than easy child care. Good character development, well portrayed by Julia Roberts.
The legal drama (although very much front and centre) is not the engine that pushes this movie forward. That's very much the portrayal of Erin the person. But the portrayal of the drama does point out the challenges involved in taking on a large corporation that has both lots of money and lots of lawyers. As you learn the stories of the affected families, you develop a sympathy for them. And yet, in some ways, the legal aspects of the film slow this down a bit. I mean, it's a true story. We pretty much know how it turns out. That takes some of the drama away from it. It does have a nice, heartwarming ending though as Erin reveals the terms of the settlement to one of the more pitiable of the plaintiffs.
This is a good movie, and definitely one of Julia Roberts' best - and this from someone, as I said, who's not generally overly smitten with Julia Roberts. (7/10)