You know when you’ve heard a movie is great but you still don’t expect anything from it? Erin Brockovich is the perfect example of that for me. Yes, I know Julia Roberts won her (only?!) Oscar for this role. I know it is viewed as a brilliant character study. I know it is based on a true story, which almost always makes for a good film. But after watching, I finally understood why this movie is so well-loved.
Brockovich herself is a twice-divorced single mother, who is struggling to find a job when the film begins. After pretty much forcing herself upon an attorney’s office, she proves to her boss (Albert Finney) that she is exponentially useful and irreplaceable due to her friendly and amicable demeanour, not to mention the fact that she does not look or dress like a lawyer. When she comes across some questionable medical records all pertaining to one town in California, she begins to investigate what appears to be an inhumane, gargantuan corporate cover-up.
Not only is this one rightly remembered so fondly, but it’s also one of those films that makes you think about how incredible women are. Erin Brockovich and conference rooms? We stan. If you’ve not seen it, YouTube those clips in particular. Or, you know, watch the whole thing.
At 130 minutes, Erin Brockovich is just a tad longer than you’d want it to be. What its writers and editors do really well, however, is provide something that is so excellently paced that time becomes a non-factor. The dialogue is so punchy and so quotable that you could watch these characters for days on end without needing a break.
What helps you with investment here first and foremost though is the likability of the actors at the forefront. Whilst I’ve always liked Julia Roberts, her performance in this movie is so completely phenomenal that I’m now a huge fan. Whilst Ellen Burstyn arguably should have won the Academy Award for Requiem for the Dream that year, I now see why Roberts got the nod. Pair her with the great Albert Finney and you create magic; his performance was so unexpected to me and I ended up being obsessed his character due to the heart, charisma and layers he gave him.
Honestly, I didn’t know I’d like this movie so much. Steven Soderbergh has failed to impress me in the past (bar, perhaps, Ocean’s Eleven), but this is some solid directorial work from him. It’s a film that’s so full of sincerity and humour and complexity and love. Knowing that it’s also a true story is the icing on the cake – the real Erin Brockovich will have surely been proud of this one.
I cried. For real. I’m surprised this one only has a 3.7 rating on Letterboxd. It’s not perfect but it’s no doubt one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.
Erin Brockovich is currently available to stream on Sky Cinema and Now TV in the UK.
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Overall Enjoyability Rating: ½
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