Erin Brockovich by Steven Soderbergh

Everyone told me this is a great movie and I had read nothing but rave reviews. And the premise is very good - Julie Roberts as a smart-talking, determined, working-class mom who unravels an environmental disaster that is poisoning people. There are not a lot of excellent female role models on our screens these days and this movie has the added bonus of being true. Our new heroine actually exists!

I did enjoy it, but it is the truth of the story that perhaps generated the greatest flaw, a kind of lingering idealism about the characters, a certain holier-than-thou quality. Ally McBeal is a single mom Touched by an Angel. You can almost feel a certain fear of lawsuits as we have a load of perfect characters, the cuddly curmudgeon, the doe-eyed cancer victims, the ballsy babe, the sensitive and caring biker guy(!?!). And the devilish electric company is virtually invisible in all of this, reduced to a kind of far off, faceless evil.

I would have preferred an fictional version of the story with deeper characterization, some flaws and real drama here and there. Plus I was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the result of Erin Brockovich's noble quest is buckets of money. The moral seems to be ÃŽdo good because then you will have millions!'. But despite these Hollywood issues, the film is pretty to look, and Julie Roberts is funny as an angry swearing tart. A fun video for a cold, snowy evening when you don't feel like being especially challenged.

Official film site

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