Confession.
I love Julia Roberts.
I know. I know. How can the critic who thrives
on intensity love Miss Perky? How can the critic
who prefers small, independent cinema really
embrace Miss Popularity? How can the critic who
prefers simple, plain actresses go for Miss
Glamour?
It's not even remotely about the physical
beauty. She's not my type.
It's not even about her acting style, which I
definitely feel can be over the top.
In fact, it's quite simple. I think, and I may
be wrong, it's about her. It's that simple.
Julia Roberts exudes humanity, and the vast
majority of the time this humanity comes alive
onscreen. Seldom has she had a character that
allowed her to radiate the full range of being
Julia...her humanity, her talent, her beauty and
her presence. "Erin Brockovich" offers Julia
Roberts the chance to shine. Shine she does!
In "Erin Brockovich," Julia plays the title
character. A single mom with two children who is
sassy, brash, sexy and determined to build a
better life for her and her children.
Based upon the true story of a woman who, while
working for a California attorney, does the
"leg" work to almost single-handedly bring down
a California power company for polluting a
city's water supply, "Erin Brockovich" is a
powerful story told in an "everyday" sort of
tone that makes it accessible and interesting
for nearly everyone.
Along with the Oscar winning performance by
Roberts, we have a magnificent performance by
Albert Finney as the attorney along with a host
of supporting players.
The script is well-written with a simplicity
that makes it easy to understand despite the
challenging topic. Along with Roberts' Oscar
win, the film received 5 other nominations
including Best Picture, Best Director (Steven
Soderbergh), Best Screenplay (Susannah Grant),
and Best Supporting Actor (Albert Finney).
The film is a solid example of the potential for
a comedy/drama type film to receive critical
acclaim, and Roberts' Oscar win rivals the win
by Marisa Tomei for "My Cousin Vinny" in terms
of it being a relative surprise.
"Erin Brockovich" is not an earth-shattering,
life-changing kind of film. It is powerful, but
it is also entertaining, funny and even sexy.
It's the perfect role for actress Julia Roberts
to finally be able to show onscreen the
complexity of her acting talent along with her
tremendous beauty and brash sexiness. In short,
it's everything I've ever wanted to see when I
see a Julia Roberts film.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
I like the
film, although I do feel that Julia Roberts'
performance has been overrated.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
