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Review

Erin Brockovich

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Year

2000

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Tuesday, October 03, 2000

I'm in love with Julia Roberts. Hard to believe, as I didn't like her at all a couple of years ago, but I think the fact that her career has been renewed with a whole new image for her, helps. When I saw her in Notting Hill about six months ago, playing a role that was so much like herself in real life and which carried the whole drama of being a successful Hollywood actress with it, I understood that Julia was a great actress, capable of making anyone fall in love with her with only a smile (and a big one, I must say). She had charm, and class. She was the kind of woman I could fall in love with.

I heard that her performance in Erin Brockovich was simply the best of her career. That would be, of course, a hard-earned qualification considering she was even nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Pretty Woman. Well, no doubt about it, and now that I saw the movie I can tell you: her performance IS a knockout. It is SO good, that it's enough to carry the whole movie, which in some aspects is not so good itself.

The [based on a true] story is about a woman who had nothing but her own charm and with it managed to win a battle against a damn big company which was harming people through toxic chemicals and a bunch of lies. She was also very intelligent and self-assured, so since the beginning she had the battle practically won. This was also thanks to the support of Ed Masry (Albert Finney), her boss in the law firm, and George (Aaron Eckhart), her lover, who happened to be a Harley Davidson lover more than anything else.

The movie is good, real good, but not the best. It reminded me a lot of The Insider, only this was not as complicated, and had more heart; the fact that the personal dramas of Erin (the situation with her family) and the harmed people (who are dying from different diseases) give the story just the right touch doesn't necessarily mean that the movie is better because of that.

A great entertainer, Erin Brockovich is sure to please the crowds. I liked it a lot.

Real-life Erin appears briefly as a waitress.

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Other reviews of Erin Brockovich (2000): Morris