Erin Brockovich
Studio: Universal Studios. Year: 2000 US Rating: R - Language Film Length: 2hr 12 minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Video Resolution/Codec: 1080p/VC-1 Audio: English and French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Subtitles: Optional English SDH and French |
US Release Date: August 14, 2007
The Film -
out of
The Film -
out of “…these people don't dream about being rich. They dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool without worrying that they'll have to have a hysterectomy at the age of *twenty*. Like Rosa Diaz, a client of ours. Or have their spine deteriorate, like Stan Blume, *another* client of ours. So before you come back here with another lame ass offer, I want you to think real hard about what your spine is worth, Mr. Walker. Or what you might expect someone to pay you for your uterus, Ms. Sanchez. Then you take out your calculator and you multiply that number by a hundred. Anything less than that is a waste of our time.”
David and Goliath tales are rarely short on emotion, appeal and a powerful sense of purpose. The films based on these struggles may not always rise to the passion and grit of the story they portray, but they always seem to remind us all, in no uncertain terms, that so long as there are those that would take advantage, abuse or otherwise damage the human body or spirit, we will be in need of those who refuse to turn a blind eye.
The true story behind Erin Brockovich is one such tale that begs to be told; a story of the malicious corporate greed and discarding of responsibility to protect self interests and the enormous human toll it inflicts. The story is both sobering and powerful.
Erin Brockovich is played by Julia Roberts in her Oscar winning role, and focuses on the struggles of this single mother as she searched for a decent job that will pay enough for her to provide food for her three children. She winds up working in the Law offices of Ed Masry, instantly becoming an outcast among the female staff due to her revealing clothes and foul mouth. When she begins working on a pro bono case, looking into the real estate dealings of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG & E) in a small town called Hinkley, she uncovers a link between the water in that town and the illnesses reported by many of the residents. Her stubborn and tenacious conduct make it hard for her co-workers to get along with her, but out in the field, researching the case and meeting with the many townsfolk affected, she is incredibly personable, likeable and effective.
Before long, a major case is built that finds the PG & E company responsible for contaminating the towns water sources, causing hundreds of debilitating and life threatening illnesses, lying to the residence and trying to cover the whole thing up.
Director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Solaris, Out of Sight), was the perfect person to helm this story. His innate skill at recognizing very human moments in drama and capturing the fidgety, playful nature of people in real settings imbues the film with an inherent naturalness, bringing each character to life in realistic ways. He manages to never over dramatize the events, sensationalize the tragedy or exaggerate the wrong-doing of PG & E. His directorial sensitivity to capturing reality this way in partnership with Julia Roberts and her phenomenal performance as Erin Brockovich, create a film that lives and breaths with the strength of a documentary; a powerful film that is every bit as natural and authentic as if we were right there with the characters.
Julia’s Academy Award winning performance is quite remarkable. Playing the ex-beauty queen that has fallen on hard times, twice divorced, single parent of three with a propensity for foul language and a combative personality– she creates in this character the perfect balance of strength and weakness. As she delves deeper into the case and connects with the victims in the town, her passion, compassion and empathy become a great asset, but also a cross to bear as her home life suffers. Her Harley-riding boyfriend George, played by Aaron Eckhart, is great with her kids and a genuinely nice guy, but he feels ignored by her commitment to her job. This puts stress on their relationship and ultimately proves too much for it to handle.
Playing Ed Masry, her boss in the film, is veteran English actor Albert Finney. A cross between befuddled and expert, Finney provides many of the lighter moments in the film, mainly in his reactions to the harshness of Erin’s words and her steely stares.
One of the finest elements of this film is that it is a legal drama without the traditional courtroom elements. It seeks to tell the story through the hard work and human connections forged as the case is built rather than the dramatic trappings found as lawyers press their case, presenting facts and evidence with great eloquence. PG & E are also not depicted as the typical corporate villain with cold and disingenuous executives orchestrating the lies. Their misdeeds are shown through peripheral characters, the flashes of documents Erin finds and the ignorance of the lawyers sent to Masry’s law firm in attempts to brush it all under the rug.
Erin Brockovich is a very powerful film with a solid natural script, excellent performances and a genuine appreciation for how to tell this story.
The Video - out of
out of Erin Brockovich comes to us from Universal Studios framed in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 in 1080p High Definition and encoded VC-1. The film maintains a warm, golden glow as the primary palette, mainly from the dry and dusty locations of Hinkley, and that warmth transfers nicely in this HD release. The image is clean for the most part, although some minor grain is noticeable, predominantly in the bright exterior shots. No evidence of edge enhancements or other unwanted distortions were found.
Erin Brockovich hasn’t looked better than it does in this nice HD-DVD release. While the image doesn’t 'pop' like many newer releases, it perfectly suits the film and is a pleasing upgrade.
The Sound - 
out of
out of The sound quality for this release from Universal is pretty good, although the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 (English & French) surround sound doesn’t get a full workout. Thomas Newman’s appropriate score, filled with serious whimsy, is used at the right level and in all the right places, but as we have come to expect from Soderbergh’s dramatic films, silence is often the best tool to achieve the realistic, true to life feel.
As this film is primarily dialogue driven, the center channel is relied upon heavily and is free of any hiss or other distortions. The plot doesn’t require any immersive surround effects and so, unsurprisingly, there are none to speak of. But what we do have is a warm, clean audio track that fits the film well.
The Extra’s - out of
out of Spotlight On Location: The Making of Erin Brockovich - (15:12) – Featuring interviews with the producer, director, stars and real life Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry, this feature is a worthwhile look at the making of the film. It runs short and would have been better if expanded into a full length ‘Making Of’, detailing the case and how the film explored the reality of the impacts to the families in Hinkley. As it stands, however, this straightforward ‘making of’ is good but could have been longer.
Erin Brockovich: A Look at a Real-Life Experience - (3:59) – A very brief interview clip with Erin and Ed discussing how Erin pursued the case with vigor under the difficulty of being a single parent of three and with a less than supportive female staff at the law firm where she worked.
Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Steven Soderbergh- (30:05) – As the director explains, the original cut of the film was over three hours long and needed to be substantially trimmed. These thirty minutes of deleted scenes contain discarded plot threads, many relationship scenes and other moments that the director felt would have slowed down the pacing or delivered story elements that were already expressed via scenes left in the film. Soderbergh’s commentary here is informative and straightforward, providing a glimpse into the difficulties in post-production of getting this film down to a more acceptable length to be shown in theaters.
Theatrical Trailer
Final Thoughts
I can think of relatively few films that achieve the natural dramatic tone that Erin Brockovich manages. Soderbergh’s style fits the narrative almost perfectly and Julia Roberts, never better than she is here, gives a performance that is worthy of all the accolades she received. A powerful, emotional film filled with characters that are given time to live and breathe onscreen. This decidedly unglamorous telling of a woman driven by her gut and passion to do the right thing, even if it means pissing off a lot of people, is a great achievement, well told and so very human.
Overall Score - out of
out of Neil Middlemiss
Kernersville, NC
