I really wasn't sure what to expect going into this movie. Steven Soderbergh's last two movies have hit on opposite ends of the scale for me. I loved Out of Sight but was severely disappointed in The Limey.
There was no reason to be concerned. This is a delightful movie. It is extremely funny yet dramatic and touching as well. It tells the story of Erin Brockovich, a single mother of three, twice divorced. She's a former beauty queen but now is unemployed, dead broke and to top it all off her already battered Hyundai is hit by a rich guy running a red light.
Her temper costs her a successful lawsuit in court. Desperate for work she shows up at her lawyer's office and demands a job to make up for his blowing the case. He decides it will be easier to hire her than try and get her to leave. While filing she comes across a pro bono real estate case that confuses her. Investigating she discovers that a local town's groundwater is being poisoned by a local utility. The utility not only doesn't try and solve the problem but lies to the residents about it. This case becomes her cause and gives her real purpose for the first time in her life.
This is a Julia Roberts we haven't seen on the big screen before. Here she is coarse, foul tempered and curses like a longshoreman. Her outfits are colorful and provocative to put it mildly. The charm and high wattage smile are still there but they are used reservedly, almost as weapons to get her way.
The movie is really about not judging a book by its cover. Erin's fiery temper, outspoken ways, short skirts and abundant cleavage put people off. They think little of her, dismissing her as someone to be taken seriously. She is forced to prove herself repeatedly. Her boss Mr. Masry, entertainingly played by Albert Finney, has a similar problem. He's overweight, not a great speaker and generally looks a bit rumpled. He never makes a strong impression. He too must prove himself repeatedly. George, Erin's neighbor and eventual boyfriend, is a biker. His hair is long and he wears nothing but leather, denim and Harley Davidson clothing. Despite his tough appearance he's a sweet guy and great with her kids. Even the high powered attorney's that eventually join their cause are judged badly by their appearance. They come off snobby and condescending, nearly undoing Erin's hard work with the townsfolk. Their skill in court is nearly wasted because they don't make that great first impression.
In theory this is a courtroom thriller. In reality it's a character driven drama. The case against the utility is never really in question. It doesn't matter much though. What makes this movie work so well is its characters. These people are well written and react intelligently and reasonably with each other. The movie practically vibrates with their energy. The almost total absence of people from the utility speaks volumes about its importance to the overall movie. It pushes the plot forward but stays out of the way to let the characters live and breathe.
There were a few technical difficulties in the theater during the movie that I won't go into here. As we left the manager was standing outside the doors apologizing to everyone as they left. It struck me as very amusing that he should be apologizing for having shown us such a delightful film.
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