Erin Brockovich is a movie about the eponymous girl who went from unemployed single mother to advocate for a great cause against corporate water pollution contamination.
Her story begins with a car accident where she sues the driver, later seeing the judge deny her compensation.
Unhappy with her attorney’s commitment, she invades his office until she convinces him to give her a job.
Shortly after that, she begins browsing through a property sale dossier containing medical reports almost by accident.
Unable to understand these documents, she travels to the site to discover that this entire family is seriously ill.
While investigating the city water board further, she suspects a nearby industrial plant may cause their problems.
He convinces his boss to sue the energy corporation, starting a significant civil action with over four hundred plaintiffs.
Meanwhile, her personal life traverses ups and downs, beginning a relationship with a charming biker living next door.
But her enormous workload keeps her constantly away from her children, who begin to get angry at her long absences.
In addition, the big company obstructs every move as his boss slowly runs out of money to pursue the cause.
Eventually, her work becomes a crusade that she has no intention to quit until getting justice for her clients.
When justice is tough and sexy
Erin Brockovich is an excellent entertainment movie, in perfect harmony with the social criticism against big corporations’ water pollution.
The comic and romantic family side perfectly joins the investigation of the criminal poisoning and contamination of water.
The behavior of these companies was outrageous, ruining hundreds of families to economize on their production security.
Because of these failures, they poured vast amounts of hexavalent chromium, extremely dangerous to health, into the city’s water system.
After starting almost silently, the case spread nationwide, leading to a settlement of more than three hundred million dollars.
This denunciation starts with the most improbable premise and a former beauty queen protagonist becoming a champion of justice.
This woman is fascinating and irresistible, as vulgar in her behavior as fundamental in her work.
It is probably because of her simplicity that she can work more effectively, bypassing bureaucratic red tape.
Always her simplicity allows her to relate immediately with people, gaining their trust for a cause so important.
In addition, the real Erin Brockovich makes a cameo as the beautiful, humble waitress at the beginning of this movie.
In conclusion, this is an ordinary people’s story inside a horrendously complex problem still going on today.
The workmanship of a great author acclaimed by critics and public alike
Steven Soderbergh is one of the few directors who make audiences and critics agree, incomparably combining style and fun.
I have always adored this author, who loves to vary film genres and experiment with new shooting styles.
His filmography is therefore very heterogeneous, going from the funny entertainment of Haywire to political films like Traffic.
The director chooses the international star Julia Roberts, already present in his famous Ocean’s Eleven.
The actress’s famous smile fits the character of Erin Brockovich perfectly, for an admirable contrast of beauty and toughness.
This woman has a combative temperament and is protective of her children, whom she cares for as a single mother.
The comical duets with her boss, played by the great English actor Albert Finney, are phenomenal.
He plays the law firm owner that initially seems the classic cynical and heartless lawyer but then hires the woman.
This bet on a character person will succeed in a multi-million dollar lawsuit leading his company to success.
Finally, as a supporting role, the capable Aaron Eckhart is well-known to the public as Two-Face from The Dark Knight.
Here is a bearded and long-haired biker, pleasant and kind-hearted, who becomes the strange new love of the fierce protagonist.
Overall, Erin Brockovich is a movie for all occasions and all kinds of audiences with sensitive arguments like water contamination and pollution.
I really enjoyed this story combining romance, comedy, and political engagement, which are always so easy to put all together.
