This is one of those films that makes up for its total lack of originality with some fairly respectable acting and a few good cleavage shots.

Rating: 7/10 (28 August 2000)

What was up with the low cut shirts, anyway? Was there some specific reason why Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) had her push-up bra showing above the top of her low cut shirt in every single scene she was in? In my opinion, if they are going to do something like that in a film, they better have a real good reason for it, and in this particular film, they didn't.

Julia Roberts plays Erin Brockovich in the true story about a woman who took interest in a particular case she came across at the law office where she worked and ended up as the initiating force behind a tremendous lawsuit. She delivered a fairly good performance, but her personality was badly manipulated for the film. Do you really think that she was able to memorize some 650 different phone numbers, names, afflictions, relatives, etc? I don't think so. Fred freakin' Tate wouldn't even be able to do that. Besides that, her excessively loud streams of profanity grew tiring very quickly.
This is an entertaining film to watch about the corruptions of a huge corporation being thrown back in its face, but the story doesn't have much strength. Despite its good intentions, it gives the illusion that financial gain is the answer if you and your entire family have become gravely ill. In the movie, the settlement to the lawsuit is seen as victory, and no more attention is paid to the sicknesses of the families. Besides that, I find it hard to believe that so many people in the same small town could have gotten that sick for so many years and no one would have even noticed. You'd think there would be some sort of pattern showing up at the local hospitals at least.
Overall, Erin Brockovich is an entertaining enough movie. It doesn't break any new ground or tell anything original, but this is a type of film that is always entertaining to watch. If you're into legal thrillers, watch The Rainmaker. If you like The Rainmaker, watch The Firm. If you like The Firm, watch A Civil Action. And if you like A Civil Action and you just need more more more, watch Erin Brockovich, and watch for the real Erin Brockovich as a waitress early in the film.