Rating: 
Summary: Go Julia!
Review: This is the best role Julia has ever protrayed. This movie is all about a woman who is not afraid to stand up for people in need and risk everything for it. Julia Roberts did a spectacualr job of making this woman look strong and determined. It is a story everyone should know and relate to. It builds your confidence and makes you want to stand up for something you believe; to go out and do something good!
Rating:
Summary: Moving, imaginatinative, feel-good and a whole lot of fun
Review: Imagine taking a true story, a true story which was so amazing that it could brighten up anyone's day. Then think about translating it into a whole movie. Think about prolonging that feeling for over 2 hours. Then you'll realise how Erin Brockovich makes you feel.I know its a cliche: unlikely hero beats big business and becomes local hero. But this movie takes that cliche and gives it new meaning. There are extremely strong performances all round: Roberts, Finney, Eckhart all superb. Lets face it ladies and gentlemen: we've all fought our own personal crusades. Many of us would, given the chance, bash a capitalist big business. So we can all identify with the whole sitution. From the moving bits (boyfriend leaving, kids getting upset at long work hours) to the hilarious bits (some of Julia's shall we say 'down-to-earth' negotiating, the 634 sexual favours joke) this film remains brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Same theme as Travolta's "A Civil Action" but 3x Better
Review: While "Erin Brockovich" follows a similar plot to Jon Travolta's movie from a few years back, "A Civil Action," this movie is more entertaining and better directed. It's amazing to think that the director, Steven Soderbergh, released Traffic in the same year as this and not many directors since Steven Spielberg in the early 90's (Jurassic Park & Schindler's List in the same year) have produced two attention-grabbers like these in the same year. Besides the drama involved in the lawsuit against the chemical polluters, one aspect of this movie this is so attractive is it's family feel. Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, goes through life as a single mother of three and an interesting boyfriend as she tries to be "Superwoman" and save a small town that is slowly dying off from years of groundwater contamination. A great performance by Roberts and equally impressive performance by Albert Finney as her boss. The DVD has some interesting extras included. Like many modern-day DVDs that are based on actual events, there are a few documentaries interviewing the real Erin Brockovich (and her employers) along with stories from the events that actually happened. (Watch for the sneak cameo of the real Brockovich acting as a waitress to Julia Roberts.) There is a clever short documentary about the filming of the movie included that reveals the director's intentions of making this film as close to the actual historical events as possible. (Which is a miracle in cinema!) Also included in the same documentary are interviews with real-life residents of the polluted town that also filled in as extras at town meetings and other scenes. The DVD includes a director's commentary and a few other small tidbits. Not entirely impressive with it's extras included, but it's probably because I'm a little biased in that I feel films as good as this should contain many extras that show the magic behind a masterpiece. One of the best films in recent years - and definitely not a disappointing purchase.
Rating:
Summary: You'll find your arms in the air rooting for Julia!
Review: This movie leaves you rooting for Julia Roberts, despite her sometimes smutty mouth. She leads a crusade to help small town people who have suffered needlessly at the hands of a large corporation. She doesn't really have time to fall in love, but she gives it a try. You'll find yourself wanting to open doors for this gutsy lady who dresses like she's about to step out on the corner and solicit herself. This is a Juila we haven't seen before, but you'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Get real !
Review: I won't say that this movie was not entertaining because it was. But let's get real, this is not Oscar material. The only reason it got that far is because many actors and producers love to bash corporations and capitalists (however, these same actors and producers don't mind drawing multi-million dollar checks themselves). I have no idea if the corporation in this movie really was guilty of these deeds (not saying they weren't, I just don't know). But Hollywood people would be the last people I would trust to give me an objective assessment of the situation. Julia Roberts is very enjoyable on screen when she does comedy but when she takes herself seriously as in this movie and does drama, it becomes a "look I m Julia Roberts, I can do anything" show. But it is not real drama, it's a comedian thrown in a dramatic situation, which is funny in a way but detracts from the dramatic content of the story. An Emma Thompson or a Meryl Streep can really deliver drama. But this is drama dumbed-down to the point of comedy. If I were one of those unfortunate people in that town, I am not sure I would be thrilled with the way our tragedy was handled.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting As A True Story But NOT As A Movie
Review: To start with the good, Julia Roberts's performance in this film is deserving of much of the acclaim it has received. To the degree that her performance is a result of just doing "whatever Steven Soderbergh told her to do," as I heard her claim in an interview, he deserves some credit. Otherwise this guy seems to be getting WAY too much credit for his film. As a true story it is interesting that a woman with no prior law training or experience could achieve some of the things that Erin Brockovich apparently did. And it is very inspirational how she personally knew all the details of all the clients' cases and all their phone numbers by heart, etc. But these little tidbits are not the stuff of interesting filmmaking. The story is way too familiar to be of any interest. There are no surprises, there is no new revelation about corporations or about law or about human nature. There is hardly any comedy, there is no really gripping drama, this is just a true story. It could have been a TV movie! Nothing is cinematically contributed to this story to warrant the jump from TV movie of the week or "Dateline" documentary to the big screen. Is the story inspiring? I guess so. Is the movie? As a movie? No. If you want stories of justice and injustice and the middle grounds between, which actually provoke thought into new directions and earn their emotional responses from the audience, look no further than David E. Kelley's brilliant TV show, "The Practice." A half an hour of which is ten times more gripping than Erin Brockovich. I have the sneaky suspicion that all the acclaim of this film is due to the political value these days on telling stories about evil corporations. I don't think it really has anything to do with Soderbergh being a genius, because this film gives no evidence he is one, or this film being rousing, because it is not. It is simply predictable and politically correct. I do not mean to say that there are no evils contributed to American or global life by corporations, just that this film gains everything from what people expect to feel and want to feel about this familiar villainy and not from what it actually accomplishes in creating something truly insightful. There are not even any new insights into the nature of corporate villainy where it exists. This is simply an overrated film. But again, Julia is worth watching. And Albert Finney was quite likable.
Rating:
Summary: Have you all lost your minds?
Review: Nothing against Ms. Roberts, even if she does despise a poltical party that represents the views of half of all Americans. But this film was: boring; didactic, pretentious; sneering; long-winded; predictable; cartoonish; one-sided; arrogant; stereotyped. Name one character, just one, that you haven't seen in another movie. Sheesh. Let Ms. Roberts win an Oscar for something good, like Notting Hill.
Rating:
Summary: Familiar story but it's so easy on the eyes!
Review: It's "A Civil Action" but instead of John Travolta, we get Julia Roberts wearing tight, slinky, cantilevered outfits. I must admit I really enjoyed watching Roberts but besides her wardrobe, there is really nothing in this movie that I haven't seen before. It is well done considering that the film had to conform to both the genre and the facts of the true story it was based upon. Soderbergh also comes through with some nice scenes, particularly the opening sequence that sets up the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Here I Go
Review: Ellen Burstyn was unfairly, unjustly, and sickly ROBBED of her Oscar for her role in "Requiem for a Dream." Her role required studying, body modifications, the presentations of terror, loneliness,desperation, disbelief...throwing 110% of herself into her character. I didn't see anything impressive with Julia. The real Erin Brokovich is someone I admire she actually did the work in real life, and she deserves credit for that. But Julia swearing, talking tough and wearing a push up bra didn't make me see anything admirable with her performance or impress me in the least. For movies that truly exhibit genuine female talent, go see Ellen in "R.F.A.D." or Bjork in "Dance in the Dark." Now that, is fine acting.
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: What is this supposed to be about? I mean, Julia Roberts said that she performed (well, you know what she said) for all those people. So, did she? I watched this thing 3 times and I never saw it. This is a bad movie. Don't bother.
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