Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich is based on a true story about a young divorced mother-of-three who discovers that one of America's largest corporations is responsible for poisoning hundreds of people in a huge pollution cover-up. In Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Julia Roberts plays Erin, who as the film starts, is struggling to support her family. She is unable to get a job, and on the way home from yet another failed interview, her car is hit by a lunatic driver who is clearly in the wrong. She sues the guy, and loses, apparently because she is a divorced mother-of-three who dresses like a hooker. She bullies her lawyer, into giving her a filing job at his office, and there she discovers some suspect documents which she can't resist investigating. She gradually reveals the pollution cover-up, meets the people whose lives have been ruined by it, and together with her boss, she brings the guilty corporation to its knees.

Erin is a hot tempered, loud mouthed and generally angry woman. She's tired of not being taken seriously, being treated like she's stupid, and being left by men. The other women in the office don't like her, or the way she dresses, and this only makes her more angry. It's a vicious circle. When she meets her neighbour George, she can hardly believe that this tattooed Harley Davidson fan is really a nice guy who likes kids and won't mind taking care of the house while she's out working. But he is, and he does, until eventually he leaves her too, because she's never there. Like he says, he probably know her kids better than she does.

One point I have to mention about this film is the fact that in almost every scene, we can see Julia Roberts' breasts, and this is unfortunately a distraction. Sure, Erin is supposed to dress "how she likes" because she won't be told what to wear and so on, but quite frankly she does look like a hooker most of the time. It's quite comical seeing this tall, stunning woman walking in high heels next to her short fat boss. I heard giggles several times in the cinema. And this just goes to show that we do place too much emphasis on how people look. The fact that she dresses that way does not make her stupid, or a hooker or a liar. Perhaps that's part of the point of the film.

Despite its obvious showing-off of Roberts' body and the feel-good ending, Erin Brockovich is an entertaining film and worth seeing, especially if you hate large corporations.