Julia Roberts at her best.

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2000)

Erin Brockovich: Trying to raise three kids after two failed marriages with no job skills under a mountain of debt, while recovering from a car accident, would be enough to kill the spirit of most people. Not Erin Brockovich. Gutsy, determined, and gifted with amazing people skills she manages to bully her way into a job at a law firm. One day while doing some routine filing Erin comes across some information that seems out of place. Her search to uncover its meaning leads her on a quest with monumental consequences.
Based on a true story, it would have been easy to make a poor-woman-fights-against-system-and-everything-turns-out-wonderful-movie. Thankfully they didn't. Well paced and written, a great deal of time is devoted to character development. I was especially impressed that they did not try to make the main character warm and fuzzy.
Not since Mystic Pizza has Julia Roberts been given the chance to show that she can act - typecast as the vanilla cute, spunky heroine she has been coasting through her roles for years. As Brockovich, Roberts is self-assured, dresses like a Frederick's of Hollywood model, throws around four letter words like a sailor, and has a temper worse than a pit bull. Most importantly, she is believable -Roberts slips so perfectly into the character that you almost forget it is her (maybe now she'll get the respect and the roles, that she deserves) some more serious offers. Albert Finney, who plays her grizzled, cranky boss, is the perfect foil and together they are unstoppable.
A careful blend of humor and drama Brockovich is worth full price.