Erin Brockovich
Well this is certainly refreshing: a film which deals almost exclusively with a legal battle in which we virtually never see the inside of a courtroom. No cheap drama due to surprise witnesses or faux-emotional outbursts on the stand, no grandstanding by the prosecuting attorney, no hand-wringing jury. Instead, the legal twists and turns serve as a framework for a humane, behind-the-scenes look at one woman’s struggle for self respect. I’ve complained vociferously in this public forum about the inherent dangers of films “based on a true story,” but Erin Brockovich succeeds where similarly-themed People vs. Polluting Corporation films (notably, the recently well-intentioned but dull A Civil Action do not for two main reasons: it’s got a tight, well-paced narrative and Julia Roberts.
Erin Brockovich is Hollywood through and through, with undeniable star power and a predictably sunny outcome, but it works because it lets Roberts loose to battle Big Time Evil with her padded breasts, impossibly long legs and coarse, fiery wit. I’ve found Roberts to be intermittently effective in the past, but if you can imagine a solid two hours of the sexual aggression and feral intelligence she flashed in My Best Friend’s Wedding (“I’ve got moooves you’ve never seen”), then you have an idea of the populist pleasures Erin Brockovich offers.
Combining the best features of a character study with a confidently directed traditional drama, the film wisely avoids getting bogged down in romantic subplots. It showcases Aaron Eckhart, previously the vicious misogynist in In the Company of Men and the doughy punching-bag-husband in Your Friends and Neighbors as a Hell’s Angel with a heart of gold, but his relationship with Erin serves only to highlight her sacrifices; be assured that it doesn’t get in the way. I was sold when, upon confronting Erin when her allegiance seems to flip from being a caring mother to being an unconventionally effective paralegal, she stands by her hard-won professional confidence.
While Robert’s cleavage and mini-skirts might draw the crowds in, they don’t guarantee a great film. Luckily, Erin Brockovich is the best kind of crowd-pleaser; it’s the kind of solidly written, well-acted film that Hollywood should be cranking out every week but sadly can’t seem to nail more than once every other month. In this dry, post-winter, post-Oscar-jostling season when studios dump their suspected stinkers, Erin Brockovich is a welcome surprise.
- Jared O'Connor
MOVIES
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