Erin Brockovich

Plot synopsis:
In 1993, Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is an unemployed single mother of three children, who has recently been injured in a traffic accident with a doctor and is suing him. Her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), expects to win, but Erin's explosive courtroom behavior under cross-examination loses her the case, and Ed will not return her phone calls afterwards. One day, he arrives at work to find her in the office, apparently working. She says that he told her things would work out and they did not, and that she needed a job. Ed takes pity on Erin, and she gets a paid job at the office.
Erin is given files for a real estate case where the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is offering to purchase the home of Donna Jensen, a resident of Hinkley, California. Erin is surprised to see medical records in the file and visits Donna, who explains that she had simply kept all her PG&E correspondence together. Donna appreciates PG&E's help: she has had several tumors and her husband has Hodgkin's lymphoma, but PG&E has always supplied a doctor at their own expense. Erin asks why they would do that, and Donna replies, "because of the chromium". Erin begins digging into the case and finds evidence that the groundwater in Hinkley is seriously contaminated with carcinogenic hexavalent chromium, but PG&E has been telling Hinkley residents that they use a safer form of chromium. After several days away from the office doing this research, she is fired by Ed until he realizes that she was working all the time, and sees what she has found out.
Rehired, she continues her research, and over time, visits many Hinkley residents and wins their trust. She finds many cases of tumors and other medical problems in Hinkley. Everyone has been treated by PG&E's doctors and thinks the cluster of cases is just a coincidence, unrelated to the "safe" chromium. The Jensens' claim for compensation grows into a major class action lawsuit, but the direct evidence only relates to PG&E's Hinkley plant, not to the senior management.
Knowing that PG&E could slow any settlement for years through delays and appeals, Ed takes the opportunity to arrange for disposition by binding arbitration, but a large majority of the plaintiffs must agree to this. Erin returns to Hinkley and persuades all 634 plaintiffs to go along. While she is there, a man named Charles Embry approaches her to say that he and his cousin were PG&E employees, but his cousin recently died from the poison. The man says he was tasked with destroying documents at PG&E, but, "as it turns out," he "wasn't a very good employee".
Embry gives Erin the documents, which include a 1966 memo proving corporate headquarters knew the water was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, did nothing about it, and advised the Hinkley operation to keep this secret. The judge orders PG&E to pay a settlement amount of $333 million to be distributed among the plaintiffs.
In the aftermath, Ed hands Erin her bonus payment for the case but warns her he has changed the amount. She explodes into a complaint that she deserves more respect, but is astonished to find that he has increased it—to $2 million.

Tags: dramatic, inspiring

Review:
If I didn't know it was based on a "true" story I might have dismissed this movie as "unrealistic", particularly in the first half hour or so when it started off like another Julia Roberts comedy.
The only thing bigger than Julia Roberts' chest in "Erin Brockovich" is the heart this film has.
Nothing bad actually happens in this movie, at all, but it's the complications, the setbacks the moral struggles along the way that make it shine."Erin Brockovich" stars Julia Roberts in the title role in a film based on the true story of a twice-married mother of three who is desperate to find a way to make a living and provide for her family.
Struggling outspoken single mom, Erin (the Oscar winning performance by Julie Roberts proving irrevocably that she is more than just tits and teeth), gets on with a law firm run by Ed Masry (Albert Finney in a justifiably nominated supporting role)just in time to break open the biggest direct action corporate lawsuit in american history.
Erin works her tail off,  polishes her own too harsh rough edges and ultimately wins a richly deserved reward (just the film itself was so amply rewarded.)It's a story that inspires americans to believe in the system and fight against corporate injustice on their own personal level.
However, thanks to a pair of utterly smashing performances by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney and a beautifully well-rounded portrait of a real-life heroine, this Steven Soderbergh film emerges as a true crowd-pleasing triumph.
Dressed more like a fashion devotee of Roberts' `Pretty Woman' call girl character than a serious legal executive, Erin often launches into unrestrained, obscenity-laced tirades at her boss, her loving boyfriend, even the corporate lawyer bigwigs sent to help her when the case she is making comes close to completion.
But she did an excellent job in this story, seemingly portraying the real Erin Brockovich with perfection.Great story, maybe a little hard to believe though if you didn't know it was true.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)Julia Roberts stars as an unrelentingly tactless, thoroughly tasteless, charm-school dropout twice divorced, the mother of three who dresses like a Las Vegas whore.
That's her gift.A significant part of the success of Erin Brockovich of course is in the compelling (and substantially true) story of David versus Goliath ("and all his relatives," as Finney quips), of good versus evil, of the "little guy" versus the corporate behemoth.
I am also looking forward to the Academy Awards presentations because I suspect the Academy is going to reward both Julia Roberts and Soderbergh by making Erin Brockovich the Best Picture of the year 2000..
A tenacious file clerk for a small law firm, curious about some information included in the file of a pro bono case, purses it and ultimately becomes a major player in a huge lawsuit involving hundreds of people in `Erin Brockovich,' a movie based on actual events, directed by Steven Soderbergh.
When Erin (Julia Roberts) questions why medical records are included in the file of a simple real estate transaction between a public utilities company and some homeowners in the town of Hinckley, California, she uncovers information that PG&E may have been responsible for water pollution that may have caused widespread illness and even death among the citizens of Hinckley.
Julia Roberts gives one of the best performances of her career in this film, as the sassy, brazen Brockovich, who tells it like it is and won't take `no' for an answer.
One of the best movies of the year, `Erin Brockovich' is a well made, absorbing and entertaining drama, well directed and superbly acted, especially by Roberts and Finney; it's theme of the underdog fighting for justice has a universal appeal that will get the adrenaline pumping and engage you emotionally.
"Erin Brockovich" is simply a "lawsuits are really your friend" feel-good Hollywood fluff movie that has little basis in fact.
In real-life, an attorney that was retained by Hinkley residents to sue Brockovich and Masry after they took the money and ran, was quoted as saying "I read the script; the only true part was Erin Brockovich's name."Julia Robert's performance was decent, but hardly Oscar material.
Albert Finney was good as the in-over-his-head Lawyer trying to do what is right for the residents of Hinkley, but he was much much better in "Traffic".I highly recommend that anybody who watches "Erin Brockovich" (and especially if you get up and cheer at the end) takes the time to do cursory research on the real-life Hinkley case.
I regard her as little more than a Barbie doll who pretends to be the world's biggest genius, and whose movies appear to have been written by ten monkeys working with ten typewriters for ten days/years.So how then, you may ask, could I like "Erin Brockovich"?
The movie is also helped by good support from Albert Finney as Erin's boss Ed Masry.So, in conclusion, even though I generally consider Julia Roberts pretty worthless, I do agree that her Oscar win for this movie was well deserved..
Julia Roberts did a fantastic job in portraying Erin Brockovich, which was quite different from her usual comedy romance style of acting.
A film written by Susannah Grant and directed by Steven Soderbergh, this is an Oscar-winning biographical drama that is based on a portion of the life of Erin Brockovich, a woman that has dealt with unemployment, poverty, and just plain bad luck.
Erin gains the trust of the community to mount legal action and strong-arms Ed to put together a case that would win the largest direct claim settlement in American history, even as her personal life is threatened by her devotion to the case.Steven Soderbergh tests Erin's limits of likability numerous times throughout the movie.
Julia Roberts did an excellent job of Erin Brockovich which is true story about a woman trying to make a difference in the water-pollution that takes place in a certain town.
"Erin Brockovich" is an emotional, funny drama based on a true story about a single, twice-divorced, single mother of 3 (Julia Roberts) who, after landing a job at a small legal firm, helps residents of a small town hurt by water pollution to win over $300 million in a lawsuit.
Like these latter films, Erin Brockovich is based on a real character and a real-life incident.Erin Brockovich is a twice-divorced mother with kids who finagles her way into a job working for the lawyer who lost her case in a civil trial.
The film ERIN BROCKOVICH is based on a single mother who with the help of a small law firm fights against a huge company for polluting the water resources in it's surrounding area for which people living over there were falling sick and were dying.The film has a strong script and has been edited perfectly.
Albert Finney too gave a lovely performance and so did the rest of the cast.Last but not the least I would like to say that according to me this film is a "MUST WATCH" just for three reasons- JULIA ROBERTS PERFORMANCE, STEVEN SODERBERGH'S DIRECTION and THE EXCELLENT SCRIPT..
I have seen it so many times that I am actually afraid to take away the excitement of the movie trying to give a plot summary.The basic story line is (based on true events) a young, single mom of three is struggling to survive life, pay the bills and just find her lot in life.
This movie tries to illustrate Erin Brockovich as a kind person with a good heart and will stop at nothing to help people and to make things right.
Not to mention the fact that Burstyn went through hell for her part, and still few gave her the recognition she deserves because they felt Julia should've won everything because she's younger, prettier(well, not really), and more people like her movies (yeah, sure: remember, Burstyn was the lead in THE EXORCIST [one of the most influential, scariest, and most talked about movies of all time in which she gave one of her best performances], not to mention her great performances in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE [for which the academy awarded her], and SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR just to name a few.)Overall, I give this an imdb rating of 1/10.
In real life ,the main character was arguably an admirable woman;in the movie,the character is given a treatment which is by no means convincing.First of all,Julia Roberts overplays :the rest of the cast is completely wasted,and serves as a foil to her;look at paunchy aging Finney:he has become his own caricature;Peter Coyote's part is scarcely more than a walk-on and what can we say about his female counterpart,a sexually repressed(?) earnest educated woman?Roberts' long-haired partner barely dares to say a word as well.The intentions are very dubious ;sometimes,it seems that Roberts is not at all some Florence Nightingale,but rather a go-getter who wants to do her walk of life:the last scene ,focussing on money ,is sheer bad taste .We're supposed to find her likable because she's always swearing like a trouper.But her swagger is in direct contrast to that:wherever and whenever she moves, pursuing cockroaches or meeting chic people,she seems to go out of a beauty parlor.Directing is undistinguished,recalling made-for-TV quality.Word to the wise:(if there's any of us left)try "Silkwood " instead:Meryl Streep is a much better thespian than Roberts,and the woman she plays did not fight for money but for dear life,because,unlike Erin,she was a victim from the start..
"Erin Brockovich", with Julia Roberts in the title role, is a not-too-serious and entertaining film based on a true story.
ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) ***1/2 Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Peter Coyote, Cherry Jones, Tracy Walter.
'Norma Rae' meets 'A Civil Action' by way of 'Pretty Woman' easily could have been the pitch for this based on a true story account of a feisty former Miss Wichita runner up/twice divorced mother of three (Roberts is superb as the eponymous character in arguably her finest acting to date) who struggles to make ends meet in a rural California town and after vehemently lobbying for a job as a legal clerk (with no prior experience) she unwittingly discovers a paper trail of immense proportions involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and its murky dealings with water contamination.
The linear storytelling is excellent thanks largely to a smart straight ahead screenplay by Susannah Grant, a great ensemble cast including the gruff yet lovable Finney who gives a memorable performance as small-time lawyer Edward Masry whose paternal love for his plucky /sexy/tacky do-gooder is only exemplified as the case progresses to (seemingly) impossible odds in a modern day David Vs. Goliath lawsuit involving hundreds of infected people against a malevolent corporation.
Julia Roberts plays Erin Brockovich in one of the the most touching and inspiring movies made about a small law firm bringing a huge, multi-million dollar company down.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves Julia Roberts and/or Albert Finney as their performances are stunning..
I felt like Julia Roberts deserved the Oscar she received for this film, as she played a single mom who almost single-handedly exposes a plant contaminating a town's water supply to its knees.
What a waste of Miss Roberts excellent acting talents, the story is great but I found that all Julia had to do was show cleavage and swear, and for this she received an Oscar.
However, as I watched this film, I found myself wondering why Julia Roberts got an Oscar for best actress.
She was simply fantastic and my opinion of her has elevated dramatically.The film itself is very well directed and extremely well cast, all the main characters are portrayed brilliantly.The film is based on a true story and i feel that the producers dramatised the events in a powerful and touching way.I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone, it is great.9/10.
"Erin Brockovich" will likely be remembered as director Steven Soderbergh's other film from the year 2000 ("Traffic") and of course for Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning performance.
Erin, as splendidly played by Julia Roberts, is a dynamic personality, and the film is a detective story with suspense, excitement and humor.
Erin Brockovich is one of the most overrated films ever.Something that really infuriated me is the following thing:at the 73rd Academy Awards,Julia Roberts was nominated(I do not know how,because her performance on this movie was pretty mediocre)as best actress in a leading role and one of her competitors was Ellen Burstyn,nominated for her amazing performance on Requiem for a dream.But the winner was Julia Roberts.The Academy Awards are pathetic and that represented an insult for Ellen Burstyn.Julia Roberts is disguised as Erin Brockovich and that thing made the performance mediocre.Steven Soderbergh has a very irregular career:he made excellent movies like Kafka,Traffic or Sex,lies and videotape and craps like this movie or Ocean's twelve.The only good thing I found on this bad movie is the performance of the great Albert Finney.This movie bored the hell out of me and it's pretty slow.Erin Brockovich is an extremely overrated movie and pretty boring.I do not recommend it..
So, Brokovich investigates and takes the evil organization to court, pretty much.The film, directed by up-and-coming Steven Soderbergh, whose work on "Traffic" and "Ocean's Eleven" was amazing, is not really a great movie, but it is a definite must-see.
One thing I like about Soderbergh's film is that most of the time you can expect something: The orange tint and a heck of a good movie.While "Erin Brokovich" is in no way a GREAT movie, it is good, and quite possibly Julia Roberts' best performance to date.4/5 stars -John Ulmer.
If you like movies and you are more than fourteen, regardless  the `based on actual events', you will have the feeling of having watched this film two hundred times before, it is the same old story, absolutely predictable, a bad drag of `trial, lawsuit, lawyer, investigacion,', very very already seen and boring.
To me, Julia's portrayal of Erin was basically the same character she used in Pretty Woman and another rags to riches story that I am really tired of from MS Roberts.
The movie pits Julia Roberts in the role of Erin Brockovich, an unlikable and unemployed single mother of three kids who is involved in a car collision while passing through an intersection.
The cast make admirable appearances on screen in this true story-based film written by Steven Soderbergh that captures true emotion without the temptation of manipulating it with overly sentimental tone, and makes an honest sense of the events that took place leading the title character into a major court case Erin had a very high chance of losing in trial.
Erin Brockovich is an endearing biographical drama that leaves a landmark on both Julia Roberts and director Steven Soderbergh's career.
Erin Brockovich is very interesting film, account story of a strong and determined woman , the cast is good, Julia Roberts makes a great performance , surely top 5 of his career , the script is competent , even with flaws , the direction is good, rhythm is a negative point , the film can be tiring for the viewer , have defining moments , interesting characters , the film begins more or less and will improve over time, so if you are not patient , you may be disappointed with the first act , Erin Brockovich was nominated for best film, in my view, is no film to compete , let alone win (which was not the case in this film ) , Erin Brockovich is a good film, worth being seen .
The movie Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is based on a real story and gives the audience a heroine version of David and Goliath.
Erin Brockovich is a movie based on a true story.
Almost unrecognizable as the nice guy biker boyfriend/babysitter.Roberts plays an outspoken, somewhat trashy single mother in her Oscar winning role, who after browbeating her lawyer into giving her a job almost singlehandedly brings down a California power company accused of contaminating a towns water supply -to the tune of 333 million dollar settlement.This is just a brilliant movie, funny, frustrating (scary regarding the big cooperation) filled with great characters and I just love seeing the little guy win for a change.
Julia Robert's is great in what I think is her finest performance yet as the true to life law clerk Erin Brockovich.
And the big payoff is that Julia Roberts gives a performance that's equally movie-star-like and conscientious about keeping it real.
Raising three children on her own, having less than $100 in the bank, no job, and just having been in a serious car accident, she basically bullies her way into a position at a law firm to work for the lawyer who had been representing her in the law suit she had just lost for said car accident.Julia Roberts' portrayal of Erin is spirited, real, courageous, and best of all entertaining as all heck to watch!
That person you are thinking of is your 'Erin Brockovich.'  If you see the highly entertaining new Steven Soderbergh film named for her, you'll see my point.Hollywood does love the underdog.
The marvelous interaction of Julia Roberts, as the flamboyant real-life Erin Brockovich....and Albert Finney as her foil in the role of her boss, great story-telling and direction by Soderbergh, this is a must-see.
Julia Roberts's best film to date also features her finest performance, as well as great supporting work by Albert Finney, Marg Helgenberger, and Aaron Eckhardt, and a stalwart cast from top to bottom.
Soderbergh's newest film is ERIN BROCKOVICH, which is based on a true story.
The real life story has the title character (Julia Roberts) who is a single mother of three, who is looking for a job.
I was very impressed with Julia Roberts performance in ERIN BROCKOVICH.