Jul 19, 2003 02:11 PM
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(Updated Jul 19, 2003 02:42 PM)
Last weekend I watched yet another movie that proved never judge a movie by its promos! My reason for stalling a dekho of this flick was Julia Roberts but I opted to watch her instead of the irritating acteress in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer.... must say Julia Rulez!!!
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Erin Brockowich
The movie starts with a bad cloudy day, for Erin (Julia Roberts), a ex-beauty queen now a out of work twice divorced mother of 3 kids she is desperately seeking a new job but is rejected at yet another interview, this happens even when she seems to be suitable for the job applied but Erin is a foul mouthed, bad dresser who also expects a job that would be interesting to her. To make matters worse, on her return her car is hit by a speeding vehicle but as they say every cloud has a silver lining, Erin's silver lining appears in the form of Ed Masry (Albert Finney) a lawyer she approaches to file a case against the rash driver, he tries to win her case but once again her attitude mars her success as the jury rules in favor of the driver.
Left with no job but huge bills to pay, Erin blames Ed for being a weak lawyer & demands a job at his small law firm ''fire me in a month but don't say no!'' she says. Poor Ed is left with no choice but to hire her as a clerk but she is ignored by her colleagues. Not that Erin cares, she tries to find interesting work at the office & this is when she comes across a pro-bono case of Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation [PG & E] that intrigues her enough to seek Ed's permission to investigate on the same. The case belongs to a real estate class where PG & E has generously offered for Ed's client Marge's property but Erin is surprised to find some medical bills in the files. She meets Marge & some other residents of Hinkley who have undergone tests & medication which are being paid by PG & E, here she learns that some of the many of the residents approached by PG & E to sell off their property have been seriously ill.
On further investigation Erin is shocked to find out that the water supply of the property in question may be contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a ''highly toxic, highly carcinogenic'' compound that can get into a person's DNA and result in leukemia & other cancers leading to their death! Determined to get justice for the unaware innocent residents of Hinkley, Erin sets out to find potential victims & documents of PG & E's illegal dumping activities. She later convinces Ed to take up the matter to court but Ed would rather retire than to face the $28 billion corporation. Once again Erin manages to bully Ed to pursue the case and so begins a testing time for Erin, Ed as well as the residents of Hinkley.
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The Film/Performances
The film is based upon a true story, this case has been hailed as the biggest lawsuit where the real Erin Brockowich fought for justice like a character of John Grisham novel but interestingly director Stephen Soderburgh has refrained from any highaction courtroom dramas and made the film into a touching story of a never-say-die character Erin, a non-lawyer who while fighting for justice if also stuggling with her own personal [job, boyfriend and kids] life.
Pretty woman Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich is stunning & gives her most winning performance ever. With her bawdy mouth & provocative low-cut cleavage n barely-there skirts Julia still turns out to be a really likeable character as one can understand her frustration living in a society that judges people by their looks & ettiqutes. Julia carries the whole film on her shoulders be it the comic scenes or the emotional ones where she breaks down on missing out on her toddlers first uttered words. She truly deserved her Best Actress Oscar for this film. Like I said, Julia Rulez!!
Albert Finney as the about to retire lawyer Ed Masry perfectly complements Julia's character, where he lets her boss over him or chide him for being scared to fight a tough looking case but Finney does excel in the scene where he teaches Erin a thing or two about law and lawyers. His expressions to Julias over the top dialogues are priceless!
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My Word
The movie is fabulous! A superb plot, effective characters with matching performances & even with all those revealing clothes & dialogues filled with obscenities, the film does get its message across: Follow your heart & never give up what you believe in!
