Year:
2000
Studio:
Universal Pictures/Jersey Films
Movie:
3/5
DVD:
2/5
Movie
Erin Brockovich
dramatizes the true story of its title character, played by Julia
Roberts in a role that won her a Best Actress Academy Award. Brockovich
is a struggling mother of three, a former beauty pageant queen with a
temper and unyielding will who nevertheless can't seem to find gainful
employment.
Erin manages to land a secretarial job at Ed Masry's law office (Masry
played by Albert Finney). There she is intrigued by a particular case
involving a family living in the small town of Hinckley, California.
Through her own initiatuve, she digs deeper and discovers more to the
case than meets the eye.
Apparently the local Pacific Gas and Electric plant has been
contaminating the Hinckley water table with Chromium Hexaflouride, used
to prevent rust in high-pressure/high-temperature environments.
PG&E has been hoodwinking Hinckley residents by misrepresenting
Chromium-6 as Chromium-3, a compound that the human body. Meanwhile,
the unnaturally high incident rates for various cancers and
miscarriages and other health problems are unrelated coincidences.
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Erin apprises
Masry of the situation and he takes up the case. But it still falls
upon Erin to do most of the legwork and especially to talk to Hinckley
residents because they have come to trust Erin. And even when a bigger
law firm is brought in to provide support, it's Erin who glues
everything together.
The movie also deals with Erin's home life and how hard it was to raise
three kids. In the end it is a movie about one woman who did a
remarkable job, through adversity at home and in the office, to help
settle one of the biggest civil law suits in US history.
DVD
The DVD includes a 15-minute Spotlight on Location featurette. There is
a three or four minute interview clip with Erin Brockovich. The thirty
minutes of deleted scenes with commentary are ok. Somewhat
disappointing for an Oscar-nominated movie.
Recommendations
It's a good drama and shows off Julia Roberts. It won several Academy
Awards and was quite popular at the box office. For a drama it is quite
good and I can recommend it.
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