Pretty Woman Meets Toxic Tort . Even though I would agree that "Erin Brockovich" is an entertaining movie, Julia Roberts performance in it is no more Oscar-worthy than was her performance of a prostitute in "Pretty Woman."  I am second to no one in enjoying a good "David and Goliath" story, but this movie has such shaky roots in reality, it is more of a tall tale, than the "true" story of a historic class action suit that, I would imagine, left more unhappy plaintiffs, than it did satisfied ones.  However, as the movie title implies, this is indeed Erin Brockovich's story, in the same way that the "Xena" character is the main attraction in "Xena: Warrior Princess" (though it should be noted that Xena's wardrobe is considerably more modest than that of the Erin Brockovich character).    Erin Brockovich is a vain, brassy, boorish, single mother of three young children, with no marketable work skills, a transparently opportunistic manner, who dresses very much the same way as the prostitute character Roberts played in "Pretty Woman" (prior to Richard Gere's character taking her on the infamous Rodeo Drive shopping spree).  The movie's beginning finds Erin unemployed and pursuing a personal injury lawsuit in connection with an automobile accident; her lawsuit is lost, primarily thanks to her own disastrous testimony (swearing, cursing and shrieking from the witness stand) while being questioned by opposing counsel.   Unbelievably, Erin parlays the failed lawsuit into a job at her attorney's (played by Albert Finney) firm, mainly by pushing her way into the office and ensconcing herself at a desk.   Later, while handling the paperwork for a run-of-the-mill, pro bono, real estate sale, Erin discovers the file contains the seller's medical records, that, for reasons she (correctly) does not understand, seem to be of particular interest to the buyer, the mega utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric.  Erin independently embarks on her own personal investigation of the case and discovers that PG&E had (for decades) negligently contaminated the ground water (surrounding one of their power plants in/near Hinkley, CA on the edge of the Mojave Desert) with toxic, hexavalent chromium.  This discovery leads to the queen mother of all class-action lawsuits (at least in terms of the award), in which hundreds of Hinkley residents sue PG&E (by and through the representation of Erin's boss) in a toxic tort action that eventually nets a 330 million dollar settlement for the plaintiffs.    Roberts gives a photogenic, if not especially gifted, performance in her role as Erin. The movie contains a plethora of flattering shots of Roberts (literally gushing out skin-tight, low-cut, bustier-inspired "work clothes" that would never be permissible attire for any employee of a law firm on this planet) as she engages in warm and fuzzy discourses with the unsuspecting and unsophisticated Hinkley residents. While there is much to be said for Erin's apparent drive and tenacity as she pursues the plaintiffs in the suit, she is not an especially likeable character; rather, she is rude, verbally abusive and only conciliatory and kind when and if it serves her interests.    Albert Finney is considerably more appealing and believable as Ed Masry, the aged and  weary attorney who is Erin's boss.  The bantering that occurs between the two is generally amusing; unfortunately thanks to the inept direction and camera work, the focus for these scenes seems to be more on Roberts (strutting about in short leather skirts and noisy, five-inched-heeled mules) than on the sometimes-interesting personality dynamics that seemingly exists between the two characters.  Aaron Eckhart plays the affable, gentle biker and next-door-neighbor, George, who becomes Erin's boyfriend-by-convenience.  The "convenience" factor is totally one-sided and for Erin's benefit exclusively; she  unabashedly uses George for free, live-in childcare, thereby giving her the necessary freedom to assist Masry as they put together the historic case.  Erin eventually winds up receiving a staggering two million dollar "bonus" check  (from Masry) when the tort action case settles; contrastingly, George gets a "thanks" for his nanny services from Erin and his walking papers.     The plaintiffs in the case are an assortment of simple individuals with unpretentious outlooks on life, who have been dealt a dirty hand by the utility giant.  Though the Hinkley residents are sympathetically portrayed, make no mistake-this movie is about Erin Brockovich (indeed, I do not think there is a single scene in which the chacracter is not present) and less about the brave struggles with life-threatening, generation-spanning illnesses that the real-life plaintiffs were forced to face, due to the toxicity in their water source.  Erin Brockovich is presented to the viewing audience (in typical Hollywood fashion) as a sort of heroine; but in fairness it would seem more accurate to say that she was a woman who indiscriminately used people, walked on others when necessary and seized opportunity after opportunity until she eventually struck it lucky and got rich.  Is the movie entertaining-absolutely.   Inspiring- not even slightly.
Output: NEG