Slickly directed and nicely performed, though it is a bit one-sided.

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2003)

WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS
Erin Brockovich is a well done and quite enjoyable movie, even if it does blatantly shout at the screen `give me an Oscar'. It's directed by Steven Soderbergh, who won an Oscar that same year for Traffic. So if you like his cool, hip style of directing then you'll probably like this film.

Julia Roberts takes on the lead role and I'll give the devil its due, she gives a very convincing performance. But then again she was well overdue for one. Her performances in her usual run-of-the-mill rom-coms were giving me a strong sense of déjà vu. I still think that she's far from being the best actress of all time but this film has brought her one step closer. Albert Finney easily fits into the role of Erin's jolly despondent boss and seems to be enjoying it, for what it's worth. Newcomer Aaron Eckhart takes on a rather unrealistic role but does a good job of it.
I'll admit I don't like films like The Parallax View and Arlington Road where the bad guys win but nonetheless, `Erin Brockovich' could have done with a bit of opposition from the company she was sueing.

The film isn't exactly complex and lacks emotional power but it's still a brilliant film that holds your attention and has a very satisfying ending.