‘I’m smart, I’m hard-working and I’ll do anything…‘
Back in 2000, I was a 13-year-old dipshit who listened to Limp Bizkit and only watched horror films. For this reason, Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich passed me by at the time and I never went back to it. Happily, the film still holds up 22 years later, and now I have seen it, I can report that it is an uplifting, inspirational movie with a great performance at the heart of it…
Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a single mother with three kids and no law degree who through sheer force of will becomes the main player in a class action lawsuit against a Californian power company accused of knowingly poisoning the local water supply. She is also a massive pain in the ass to her boss Ed (Albert Finney) and a maddeningly distant partner to her boyfriend George (Aaron Eckhart).
Roberts was already America’s sweetheart after appearing in a number of hits in the 90s, but Erin Brockovich won her her first and to date only Oscar, and it is probably her most well-rounded performance. It is rare that a female lead is allowed to be disagreeable, but Roberts’ natural star power ensures that her take on Brockovich is nuanced, complex, but also likeable. The latter component being arguably the most important. It is a testament to her talent that she is able to completely carry this movie and transforms it from a straightforward biopic to an iconic and landmark film.
Elsewhere, Eckhart is suitably charming as Brockovich’s sometime partner, but it is Albert Finney who provides the best foil for Roberts, and the two of them seem to enjoy their verbal jousting just enough to make it credible. Soderbergh’s assured direction allows the talented cast to shine and the result is a film that surely has something for everyone.
Julia Roberts remains one of the most iconic actors of her generation, but if you’re only going to watch one of her movies, make it this one.