Raising Her Game

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2015)

There are a lot of money lines in this smart drama about a woman directing a lawsuit against a big corporation that poisoned a community. One of my favorites is when the title character, played by Julia Roberts, complains she isn't taken seriously because she didn't go to law school.
"Law school!" moans her boss, Ed Masry (Albert Finney). "At this point, I'd settle for charm school."
Never mind Masry: "Erin Brockovich," at least the movie, has charm coming out of its ears. From Erin's many abrasive wisecracks to her more sensitive dealings with the good people of Hinkley, California, this is a high-impact touchy-feely drama that works familiar territory in unusual ways, making for engaging entertainment.
Girl-power enthusiasts will enjoy how Roberts inhabits her role with surprising gusto and some jaw-dropping language, coming off a bit like George C. Scott did in "Patton," albeit with a much different wardrobe.
The contributions of two women behind the scenes are equally worthy of note: Screenwriter Susannah Grant and editor Anne V. Coates. Grant capably juggles her two key themes, of corporate malfeasance and personal self-discovery by binding them with a common thread of motherhood. There are cute moments and heartbreaking moments; the strength of Grant's writing is they all feel like authentic moments on screen.
Coates, who edited "Lawrence Of Arabia," keeps the story moving with sharp cuts that invest you in drama without bogging you down in details. Right after Erin first meets Masry, to tell him about her hit-and-run case, we cut to her telling her story in a courtroom (only one of two courtroom scenes in the whole film, both brief.) The whole film moves like that, not rat-a-tat, but alert to keeping scenes tight where they can be, without shortchanging the emotional arc.
As far as guys go, Finney is enjoyably easy-going, quite a departure from his Angry Young Man persona of the 1960s sporting a doughy Texas accent. He's consistently likable as Erin's constructive- minded foil. Aaron Eckhart is also effective playing a character far removed from his usual sinister-smoothy roles. And "Erin Brockovich" contains probably the most clever use of character actor Tracey Walter you'll ever see, a tribute to both his acting skill and Coates' cuts.
Steven Soderbergh may be the most consequential director of the 21st century so far, for the way his films manage to both engage and challenge audiences. Here, the emphasis is more on the former. Still, his use of hand-held cameras for small, intimate scenes, and his refusal to overplay the heavy drama represent significant departures from the usual Hollywood treatments.
"Brockovich" doesn't make for much of a final statement. It shortchanges the emotional issues it raises, content instead to tout a historic cash settlement that can't help but land a bit flat. The real Brockovich, like Patton, may not live up to the great build-up she gets here. But for at least two hours, Roberts, Soderbergh, and company are too good for you to care about that.