Details
Movie Description
Julia Roberts reaffirms her superstar status with ERIN BROCKOVICH, an inspirational drama that is based on a true story. Roberts plays Erin Brockovich, a twice-divorced mother of three who is struggling to remain afloat. After she is involved in a car accident, she loses what should have been a lucrative settlement. Jobless and pressured, Erin convinces the attorney from her case, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), to hire her as a lawyer's assistant. She also befriends her neighbor George (Aaron Eckhart), a sexy biker whose dedication to her children appears too good to be true. As Erin settles into her job, she convinces Ed to let her pursue a case that involves the residents of a local community. Apparently, several of the townspeople have become sick with cancer and other diseases. The more that Erin investigates, the more sure she becomes of the guilt of Pacific Gas & Electric Company, an incredibly powerful corporation. Steven Soderbergh shoots BROCKOVICH with a flashy realism that allows Roberts to shine every second she appears onscreen.
Synopsis
With ERIN BROCKOVICH, Steven Soderbergh proves yet again that he is one of the world's premier directors, independent, Hollywood, or otherwise. Based on a true story, BROCKOVICH tells the optimistic true story of a twice-divorced mother of three who takes a position as a file clerk in a small-town law firm and ends up helping to win the residents of a local community $333 million in a direct-action lawsuit. Julia Roberts’s performance is the definition of what a superstar should be: gorgeous, genuine, and passionate.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: March 17, 2000.
Shot on location in various California cities (Barstow, Boron, Hinkley, Oxnard, Ventura, and the campus of UCLA).
The film grossed more than $125 million at the box office.
Both the real-life Erin Brockovich-Ellis and Ed Masry have cameos in the film.
Julia Roberts and Erin Brockovich-Ellis did not meet each other until the middle of filming so as not to cause any distractions or forced imitations. However, Erin did spend time on the set; she found the experience of watching her life unfold in front of her "surreal" and "agonizing."
The first cut of the film ran 3:15; more than an hour was cut out in the final print. The DVD release includes many of these deleted scenes, with the director talking about why they were cut. Among the scenes cut were shots of Erin taking a picture of the plant; however, that scene still ran in the trailer. Even Soderbergh fave Mike Malone (OUT OF SIGHT, SCHIZOPOLIS) ended up on the cutting-room floor.
An entire subplot involving Erin becoming sick was cut from the film.
Some of the extras in the crowd during the firehouse speech scene were actual plaintiffs in the case. Also, Judge Leroy A. Simmons plays himself in the film.
Beware: Spoiler!
Erin's indomitable spirit helped get the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history ($333 million).
Paul Tatara and Paul Clinton of cnn.com and Jeff Strickler of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune named ERIN BROCKOVICH one of the 10 best films of 2000; the Las Vegas Film Critics Society named ERIN BROCKOVICH the best film of 2000.
Julia Roberts won a People's Choice Award in January 2001 for Favorite Motion Picture Actress.
The San Diego Film Critics Society named Julia Roberts Best Actress for ERIN BROCKOVICH, in a tie with Laura Linney for YOU CAN COUNT ON ME; the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association also named Roberts Best Actress.
The National Society of Film Critics, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Florida Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the New York Film Critics Circle named Steven Soderbergh Best Director of 2000.
Steven Soderbergh was nominated for two Golden Globes for Best Director, for ERIN BROCKOVICH and TRAFFIC.
Susannah Grant and Richard LaGravenese won Best Original Screenplay for ERIN BROCKOVICH from the Las Vegas Film Critics Circle.
ERIN BROCKOVICH received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture--Drama, Best Director--Motion Picture (Steven Soderbergh), Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture--Drama (Julia Roberts), and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Albert Finney). Julia Roberts won for her lead performance.
Industry Reviews
"...Remarkably satisfying Hollywood entertainment....Superbly structured..."
Premiere - p.26 - Glenn Kenny (04/01/2000)
"An exhilarating tale....Well done....ERIN BROCKOVICH is everything that 'inspirational' true-life stories should be and rarely are..."
Variety - p.32-5 - Todd McCarthy (03/06/2000)
"...Relaxed and supremely engaging....Roberts' delightful performance, shaded with a depth and complexity unprecedented in her career, is the centrepiece of ERIN BROCKOVICH..."
USA Today - p.47-8 - Andrew O'Hehir (05/01/2000)
"...ERIN BROCKOVICH will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you stand up and cheer. ERIN BROCKOVICH is the feel-good movie of the year..."
New York Times - p.E1 - A. O. Scott (03/17/2000)
"...Roberts is stunningly convincing and appealing in the role of this highly individualist Everywoman....When activism is this sexy and fun it warms the heart..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Box Office - Bridget Byrne (05/01/2000)
"...This is the role Roberts has been looking for. It's a role that allows the actress, like her character, to use her allure for a good cause..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (03/17/2000)
Quotations
"I'm smart, I'm hardworking, and I'll do anything. And I'm not leaving here without a job."--Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) to Ed Masry (Albert Finney)
"Don't be too nice to me."--Erin
"Why?"--George (Aaron Eckhart)
"Makes me nervous."--Erin
"What makes you think you can just walk in there and find, uh, what we need?"--Ed
"They're called boobs, Ed."--Erin
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