Rating: 
Summary: You May Not Like It..or than again.. You May!
Review: Looking at the main character in the movie...without reference to the plot..what can we say? A foul mouthed,combative litigious women becomes a heroine. Having been caught up in this perception the movie was disappointing at best
Rating: 
Summary: This is a great Movie!!
Review: Erin Brockovich is by far one of Julie Roberts' best films to date. Julia captivates the audience by portraying the insatiable human spirit of Erin Brockovich. She proved that regardless of skill, with enough determination and drive that anyone can make a difference.Albert Finney (last seen in Delivering Milo and Breakfast of Champions) plays an excellent role of Attorney Ed Masry. Finney should win an award for best supporting Actor of the year for his work in this film. Erin Brockovich is a true, rags to riches story, that is powerful and moving. Julia will have you compelled to see what happens next. Bottomline... this movie is one of Julia Roberts' best movies to date, and well worth a purchase. Buy this one!!
Rating: 
Summary: Took Some Liberties Trying to Please Too Hard
Review: I love real life exposes and documentaries about determined upright people with spunk and zeal never giving up and getting justice...I'm thinking Cher and Sally Field and, more recently Russell Crowe--it's really a classic all American genre. This movie, starring the excellent actress Julia Roberts, looking incredibly sluttish in a cheery sort of way, and the old war horse Albert Finney as her jaded lawyer boss, is about as typical of this good guy-bad guy style of movie as it gets. The trouble is, it's a little too long and the secondary plot about Erin's personal life is just really poorly handled. I don't know who the actor was who played her boyfriend but he was a sexy as a wet washcloth and I was glad, yes GLAD, when he wasn't in the scene. Julia Roberts continues to astound me however...my husband adores her and still I can't be jealous. There is something natural and ingenuous about her that makes her performances in every movie stand out. The chemistry between her and Albert Finney and between her and the troubled people of the town of Hinkley was a beautiful sight to see. Watch this movie for her performance alone.
Rating:
Summary: A definate Oscar!
Review: Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has." When I watched "Erin Brockovitch," I was reminded of Margaret Mead's quote and the notion of people making a difference. The location being in California, the big company being sued is PG & E, the results of the legal battle serves as an inspiration to all in demonstrating that if we believe in the system, there are victorious endings for the common people. In the movie, Julia Roberts gives a phenomenal performance as a sassy, witty, persistent and curious Erin Brockovitch. This is, undoubtedly, one of Julia Robert's best performances! She should be nominated and awarded an Oscar for "Erin Brockovitch." This movie provides a wonderful balance of comedy, drama and action. Viewers will not be bored with this movie - they will find themselves laughing, crying, and starved with anticipation of what will come out of all the efforts of Erin Brockovitch.
Rating:
Summary: a brilliant performance in a wonderful film
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A very Good Movie
Review: No matter what role she plays, she can always make it better. And this movie is one of them. Erin Brockovich is the out of luck, out of work woman with two kids. She starts working at a local law firm with no experience. When she comes onto a case that has to do with her own town's water, she takes it with decication. Fighting coragously to win against the large company that has destroyed the water, she shows that she is a true fighter. It's not Julia's usual romance. She has never shown so much skin or played such a sassy role, but she does it wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: Good feel-good flick
Review: Is this, as some have stated, a NORMA RAE for the 90's, uh, 2000's (well, it takes place in the 90's)? Well, yes it is. Hollywood likes to turn out these "little-man (or more recently, woman) against the system" spectacles, and they can be counted on to have many in the audience cheering on the quixotic main characters in their fights against a. corporate polluters b. union busters c. corrupt politicians d. the powers that be in any of their permuations. So in that regard, ERIN BROCKOVICH is not especially original. It is, however, effective--as good an example of the genre as any you're likely to find. As a tough-but-sensitive broad with a heart of gold, Julia Roberts turns in another winning performance. She cements her much vaunted "comeback" with a somewhat more serious role than she usually gets and may well walk off with an Oscar for her efforts. (Think of MASK-era Cher with a social cause.) And the rest of the cast is very good indeed. Much attention has been paid to Albert Finney, who is very good as Erin's irascible boss. More attention should have been given to Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger and the all too briefly seen Cherry Jones. Following on the heels of THE LIMEY and OUT OF SIGHT, the film represents another step forward on director Steven Soderbergh's comeback trail as well. It is, of course, a much less daring film than Soderbergh is capable of. But he is entitled to enjoy the success (both artistic and commercial) achieved here. So it's a tad formulaic, EB is solid work all around.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie...but the whole story?
Review: This is definately a great, feel-good flick about Brockovich's attempts to win a court case against a PG&E powerplant, in order to stop it from continuing to polute the environment, which has been causing numerous diseases in the local townsfolk, and to award those who have been harmed with money. Yeah, yeah, a lot of stuff has been said about the amount of cleavage in every shot, and I can only say that it really isn't that distracting (and for the male viewers, it does give you some entertainment for some of the slower portions of the movie!). On a different note, this does not tell you the whole story, including the part about many of the residents never getting awarded any money. Oh well, i suppose it wouldnt have been as good an ending.
Rating:
Summary: A jouney in the light
Review: Together with several hundred other people, I saw *Erin Brockovich* on a long-haul transcontinental flight. As you can imagine, it takes quite a film to get the attention of such a disparate audience, especially under such cicumstances; but almost everyone on the plane watched it, riveted. Other reviewers have commented on the story and its origins; we, I know, were deeply moved by the film, most particularly because of its basis in real life. Unusually for an in-flight movie, all of us applauded at the end and some of us cried. I did both. Perhaps the most interesting thing, though, was that after the film had finished, spontaneous discussions broke out all over the plane about what we had just experienced together. One difference between an entertaining movie and a truly great one may rest in the latter's power to transform its audience. Whatever other critical standards may be applied, it has to say something for *Erin Brockovich* that it drew us travellers together. I shall not forget it, and neither will those who saw it with me.
Rating:
Summary: Julia's Best
Review: This is Julia Robert's best role yet. Fueled by a great story and superb acting from Albert Finney, this film delivers on all fronts. Most enjoyable are the sparks that fly between Roberts and Finney. Sharp,witty dialogue between the two makes the film worth watching in itself. For me character is everything and in this film Roberts plays it for all it's worth. Brokovich is a multi-layered character combining a sassy chutzpah with a good heart and a sharp mind. A superb job. Deserves an Oscar nod for both Roberts and Finney.
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