Good, but not great

Rating: 7/10 (1 October 2006)

There's really nothing wrong with this movie. It's well-scripted, well-captured, well-acted (especially by Julia Roberts, but I'm sure I'm not the first to say so), well-staged, and well-decorated. There's a level of realism here not seen in a lot of movies, and I suppose that's something that gives the movie credit. But the truth is there's not much here.
Julia Roberts is marvelously natural, and Albert Finney complements her well, though, truth be told, he only has one scene where his acting can really show off. There are touching moments between Brockovich and her kids and between Brockovich and George, her main squeeze during the movie. Marg Helgenberger gives a nice turn as a depressingly disparate victim of the company that Brockovich is attacking. But it all adds up do a genuinely moving but formulaic film that seems to add nothing new to the genre but one more movie.
A lot of people seem to lift the movie up because of how brave its main character is and what she stands for. It's a worthy cause, to be sure, but is it cause to label Erin Brockovich as a great movie? I don't think so. It's good, I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special.