Movie Critique connecting Justice to the Film

Rating: 9/10 (5 July 2009)

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. This film shows what hard work and determination can accomplish. Erin Brockovich (played by Julia Roberts) is a true advocate for justice. Her persistence in trying to achieve justice makes others try to achieve it as well. This film does justice to the issue of mandatory minimums by showing that the "small" person can rise up and make things happen. Just like Erin Brockovich, Julie Stewart was someone who rose up to a challenge and has been fighting for its just resolution. Erin was the main character and therefore provided the strength for the film. Her fiery demeanor gets the audience riled up and interested in the film and her cause. The basic plot of the film is that while working at a law firm, Erin tries to win a case concerning a water contamination scandal. Every time you hear victims of the contamination speak about their illnesses, it moves your heart. Some of the victims are even children. One scene that truly portrays Erin's determination is when she climbs down into a well to gather water samples. She is risking a lot by doing this because she could get arrested and the evidence she acquires could become voided. Nevertheless, she evades the men that chase her off the property. After going to PG&E, the water company of the film, she and her family receive a threatening call. If she did not have devotion to justice, Erin could have stopped investigation on this case, but she continued to investigate because of her dedication to bringing justice to the people affected by PG&E. Another compelling scene involves a lawyer, Theresa, and Erin. Theresa insults Erin's work involving the case. She says that Erin had holes in her investigation, but Erin insists that her investigation is more than thorough. Theresa claims that Erin is missing six hundred and some odd telephone numbers, but what she does not know is that Erin is so connected to the case that she memorized all of those numbers. She also memorized all of the illnesses and things that the contaminated water had caused. Erin has formed relationships with the people who were affected by the contamination, and this case became personal to her. Her commitment to justice is just as passionate as Julie Stewart's devotion to bringing mandatory minimum to an end. Erin was just doing her job to try to provide for her family. What she did not know was that she would become so passionate about this issue that she would neglect spending time with her family. She also missed the chance to develop a relationship with a man named George who had been so good with her children. While she was at work he always watched the kids. He eventually left Erin because he could not stand not being able to spend time with her. This multi-million case caused Erin to spend over a year investigating, and she missed her youngest daughter's first words. A very powerful scene is when George goes into detail about her youngest daughter's first word. Erin begins to cry as George sounds so excited about Beth's first word. Erin wanted to bring justice to this case, but in the process, she missed spending time with her family. She had to sacrifice time, and her son began to resent her for that. Near the end, though, Erin's son was able to understand the significance of this case, and he no longer thought that his mother was abandoning him. George also came back. The very end of the film is the scene that best encapsulates the lesson of the story. At the very end of the movie, Erin's boss gives her a very large amount of money, two-million dollars. Her boss at first said that the sum of money that they had both agreed on was inappropriate. Erin thought that he was screwing her over and that he meant he was giving her a lesser amount of money. She begins to yell at him but she stops when she picks up the check he put on her desk. It is a check for two-million dollars, and Erin is speechless. Her boss says that he felt that her work deserved more, and the initial amount proposed was inappropriate. Thus, he gave her more money. She was rewarded for doing justice. The reward for doing justice may not always be material, but highly valuable. With this one case, Erin learned work ethic, perseverance, and along the line, self respect. She gains a sense of self confidence after she works on this case, and she feels that more people respect her as well. Although she lost some time with her family, Erin learned many life lessons. Justice in this film is very apparent through Erin's devotion and connection to her clients. Dedication to justice, perseverance, relationships, and a willingness to help others at all costs allows Erin to close this case and bring justice to her clients.