ERIN BROCKOVICH
Erin Brockovich is, at the film's start, a woman at the end of her rope.
After the departure of her second husband, she is forced to look for a job
to support her three children, despite the fact that the former Miss Wichita
has no experience or training in anything except child-rearing. She is an
attractive, friendly person and a provocative dresser (she's got more push-ups
than an Army training base), but has no luck until, after a traffic accident
with a doctor results in an unsuccessful litigation attempt, she applies
for a job with her attorney, Ed Masry (Albert Finney). Though her style
of dress and her often profane language prevent her from fitting in with
the other women working for Ed, her dedication soon leads her to uncover
a major scandal involving a large company contaminating the water supply
of the small town of Hinkley, California, with a rust inhibitor called hexavalent
chromium. After talking to residents of Hinkley, Erin discovers a widespread
pattern of disease and suffering, including cancer, asthma, Hodgkin's disease,
miscarriages, and livestock deaths. Against Ed's misgivings, she pursues
the case and persuades him to put his entire small business in hock to try
it.
Julia Roberts is, as usual, full of personality. She is also, as usual,
playing the same role she has played in every film I have ever seen her
in. Hooker with the heart of gold, stepmother with the heart of gold, runaway
bride with the heart of gold — she's got the heart of gold thing down
pat. I think perhaps this performance could be likened most readily to her
role in The Pelican Brief (the law student with the heart of gold);
anyway, Roberts exudes her usual charm and sports a wardrobe equal to that
of Marisa Tomei's in My Cousin Vinny. Finney is strangely distant
as her boss, Ed; he is believable enough, but conveys a vague sense of a
deer caught in Roberts's, er, headlights. One brief but scene-stealing performance
is by Marg Helgenberger as Connie Jensen, the first victim Erin interviews,
and the one whom we follow most closely. Another engaging turn is put in
by Aaron Eckhart as George, Erin's biker-babysitter-boyfriend, whose character
is so unconventional he could only be based on a real-life person. No one
in Hollywood would ever come up with this guy. His ad-libbed scenes with
the children — 8-year-old Matthew (Scotty Leavenworth), 6-year-old
Katie (Gemmenne De la Pena) and 9-month-old baby Beth — are some of
the most spontaneous in the film.
Written by Susannah Grant (Pocahontas, Ever After), Erin's screenplay is one of its strong points, offering Roberts plenty of chances to flash those famous pearly whites while remaining an intelligent, sympathetic character. There are also hidden lessons about the intricacies of the legal profession and the dangers of unseen treats in your water glass. While Roberts's characterization and the film's story both bear shades of recycling, Erin is smart enough to stand for (her)self. ****