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Erin Brockovich
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Erin Brockovich (2000) More at IMDbPro »

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Erin Brockovich (2000) -- An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Erin Brockovich (2000) -- An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Erin Brockovich (2000) -- An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   49,094 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Writer (WGA):
Susannah Grant (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Erin Brockovich on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 March 2000 (USA) more
Tagline:
She brought a small town to its feet and a huge corporation to its knees.
Plot:
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 26 wins & 42 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(146 articles)
Trailer for Matt Damon-Starring 'The Informant!' Arrives
 (From Aceshowbiz. 30 June 2009, 11:53 PM, PDT)

The Informant! trailer
 (From JoBlo. 30 June 2009, 2:10 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
dazzling performance by Julia Roberts more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Julia Roberts ... Erin Brockovich
David Brisbin ... Dr. Jaffe
Dawn Didawick ... Rosalind

Albert Finney ... Ed Masry
Valente Rodriguez ... Donald
Conchata Ferrell ... Brenda
George Rocky Sullivan ... Los Angeles Judge

Pat Skipper ... Defending Lawyer

Jack Gill ... Defendant
Irene Olga López ... Mrs. Morales
Emily Marks ... Beth Brockovich - 8 Months
Julie Marks ... Beth Brockovich - 8 Months

Scotty Leavenworth ... Matthew Brockovich
Gemmenne de la Peña ... Katie Brockovich (as Gemmenne De la Peña)

Erin Brockovich-Ellis ... Julia, the Waitress
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
130 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)
Filming Locations:
Baker, California, USA more
Company:
Jersey Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cameo: [Erin Brockovich-Ellis]The real Erin Brockovich appears as a waitress named Julia. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The bowl of chips in front of Beth in the "Finding the kids at George's house" scene changes position several times. more
Quotes:
Erin Brockovich: NOT PERSONAL! That is my WORK, my SWEAT, and MY TIME AWAY FROM MY KIDS! IF THAT IS NOT PERSONAL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Mia mera ti nyhta (2001) more
Soundtrack:
Everyday Is a Winding Road more

FAQ

Had Erin Brockovich really been Miss Wichita?
The scene where Julia Roberts told one of the defense attorneys, "We had that water brought in special for you folks," did that really happen?
How much were the lawyers rewarded as a result of the settlement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)?
more
28 out of 42 people found the following comment useful:-
dazzling performance by Julia Roberts, 12 August 2000
Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

In its story, `Erin Brockovich' breaks little new ground. Essentially, it joins the ranks of earlier films such as `Silkwood,' `The Insider,' `A Civil Action,' `The Rainmaker,' among others, each of which tells the tale of a common `David' (be it in the form of a whistleblowing employee or compassionate, righteous lawyer) who, against all odds, mounts a seemingly quixotic crusade against a corporate Goliath. All the above five films expose the shoddy and often malevolent business practices of companies that have resulted in major health care crises for both their own employees as well as the residents who live near the companies' facilities. In the case of `Erin Brockovich,' the villain is the PG&E electrical plant located in the desert community of Hinckley, near Barstow, California. It seems that the residents of this small town have been experiencing a mind-bogglingly high number of serious illnesses and miscarriages that PG&E has assured them are not in any way related to the activities at their site. The company has even brought in medical professionals and toxicologists to assuage the residents' growing fears. Almost by chance, Erin Brockovich stumbles onto this information and takes up the challenge of fighting for the rights of these victims and exposing PG&E's gross malfeasance in the process.

Looking at its bare-boned plotting, one must concede that there really isn't much that is new here. However, thanks to a pair of utterly smashing performances by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney and a beautifully well-rounded portrait of a real-life heroine, this Steven Soderbergh film emerges as a true crowd-pleasing triumph. This may, in fact, be not only Roberts' best performance, but her finest role as well. Erin is not a conventional do-gooder heroine. First of all, she is often abrasive and off-putting in her demeanor. Dressed more like a fashion devotee of Roberts' `Pretty Woman' call girl character than a serious legal executive, Erin often launches into unrestrained, obscenity-laced tirades at her boss, her loving boyfriend, even the corporate lawyer bigwigs sent to help her when the case she is making comes close to completion. Yet, it is just this no-nonsense directness that earns her the confidence of the people she is trying so desperately to help. A twice-divorced mother of three, she is as passionate in the defense of her own children as she is in the defense of her case. Yet, she is a woman made up of any number of internal contradictions. Much as she loves her children, she has made a shambles of her life in recent years. Rootless and lacking the skills necessary to procure a well-paying job, she practically has to beg to get hired in the office of a lawyer who has failed to win her a settlement in a traffic accident case. Staunchly individualistic, she refuses to tone down her rhetoric or her temper – or to adopt the more `professional' attire of the business world – even if it might mean that she would be taken more seriously by those around her. She assumes that no man would be willing to consider having a serious relationship with her because of her children and marital track record, yet, when a man enters her life doing just that, her insecurities and her intense commitment to the cause for which she is fighting begin to drive him away – and her children as well. Most fascinatingly, perhaps, we are led to wonder whether it is really the suffering people who motivate her obsessive commitment or rather, as she herself admits, the personal recognition she receives now when she walks into a room and people clamor desperately to know what she thinks on an issue. All credit to Susannah Grant for writing a character so full of believable paradoxes. Obnoxious as Erin is at times, her innate vitality, wisdom and warm-hearted compassion consistently shine forth. Grant, by making her such a three-dimensional figure, mitigates much of the incredibility that lies at the root of this story, true though it may be.

And, given this juicy role, Roberts is nothing short of a revelation. She conveys each conflicting mood and character trait perfectly. Never before has this actress brought such a breezy assurance to her every action and statement. She literally holds this rich film together, forcing us to focus intently on the storm of emotions taking place deep inside this complex woman. This is definitely Oscar-caliber work. Equally brilliant is Albert Finney as Ed Masry, the lawyer for whom Erin works, a jovial, easygoing man who watches with a bemused appreciation as Erin hurls colorful invective at him, rages against the system and dresses down with withering sarcasm not only the legal representatives from PG&E but the seasoned lawyers Masry himself has hired to help bring home the case. One of Erin's most endearing traits is that she is an equal opportunity harridan – a fact that wins Masry over every bit as much as it does us.

If `Erin Brockovich' has a weakness, it comes in the form of Erin's romantic relationship with the unemployed motorcycle rider next door. He seems simply too good to be true, and, although we know that it is necessary to fill in this particular part of Erin's life to make her portrait a well-rounded and complete one, it is still the least interesting and believable part of the tale. We feel we are being too often distracted from the meaty center of the story.

Still, this is a minor quibble about a film that works so beautifully on so many levels. As Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts has finally found the role uniquely suited to her enormous talents and she blazes forth more brightly than she has ever done before. I, for one, will be roundly rooting for her come Oscar night.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Does the character appeal to you? amy-quayle
Erin--a selfish bully with boobs! mgm33
Not in Top 250? SwimmerBJS
The only thing that irritated me about this movie... redraidergirl1977
100 things I learned from Erin Brokovich alexweiss3
Julia Roberts - salary capricor-1
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