A perfect movie

Rating: 10/10 (6 December 2003)

First I was rather suspicious of this movie : poor single mother wins out against big corporation so I was expecting some 'Ally Mcbeal'-style court case flick to do with discrimination or harassment stuff and in the end plaintive gets awarded a zillion dollars.
But its much more serious : a whole community gets almost deliberately poisoned by high toxic waste from nearby chemical plant. Inhabitants start to get the most terrible infections, parts of their organs rotting away, cancer, etc....and eventually a painful death.
Based on a true story this is simply a perfect movie : it's Hollywood at its best. Everything is 'right on the money' : story, acting, direction, photography,... : there isn't a false note in the whole movie. They even do not botch up the ending, a rarity in recent Hollywood flicks.
Roberts has her best part ever: she is just brilliant as the supersexy loudmouthed and abrasive but with a heart of gold single mother. Greatly balanced by that old UK pro Albert Finney as the somehow tired looking smalltime lawyer they make up a great team against the bigtime corporate lawyers.
Soderbergh direction doesn't miss a beat, as he could go for the full 'get out your handkerchieves' style; EB is directed in a solid, no-nonsense almost docu-style way, without falling into the trap of constant high melodrama.
Even the music was great.
What can I say : this is one of those rare pictures that is just 100 % sheer perfection.
A straight 10/10 of course.
PS : if you would have to put with constant foul-mouthed language by someone who looks like Julia Roberts, would you really mind ?