Classic Movie Pick: ‘Erin Brockovich’ Bravely Kicks Down the Barriers of Corruption

This week’s classic movie tells the story of an unemployed single mother of three who takes on a giant, corrupt corporation – “Erin Brockovich” is a classic film built on grit and resilience.

When someone makes a movie about you, you’ve either done something great or something abhorrent. This week’s classic movie focuses on the former and tells the story of an unemployed single mother of three who takes on a giant, corrupt corporation. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the film is Erin Brockovich.

Julia Roberts stars in this movie about a real-life character who is injured in a car accident by a doctor and loses her legal battle due to a courtroom outburst while being cross examined. Needless to say, Erin’s lawyer is not happy with her and won’t even return her phone calls. Erin Brockovich, however, is not someone who can be kept down and her lawyer Ed Masry, played by Albert Finney, knows this firsthand. He eventually not only caves and calls her back, but he also gives her a job at his law firm. 

Given her new position, Brockovich takes it upon herself to investigate a real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company or PG & E, which has been polluting water near a home the company would like to purchase. Brockovich finds out the family is considering selling the home and has tons of medical bills due to residual illnesses thanks to the ground water polluted with carcinogens PG & E has been lying about. Masry notices that Brockovich has been absent from work and fires her, unaware she’s been working and consumed with the case.

Masry eventually realizes Brockovich has been on the job not only gaining the trust of the sick family but also the entire community, providing her boss with a huge class action lawsuit.

The legal action picks up steam thanks to a document brought forth by a former PG & E employee that proves that the company knew the water was even more contaminated than they let on. 

Erin Brockovich is directed by Steven Soderberg. Soderberg is one of the most renowned directors in Hollywood over the last 40 years. He burst onto the scene with his film “Sex, Lies and Videotape” in 1989. He won an Oscar for Best Director in 2000 for the film “Traffic”. Soderbergh drew inspiration directorially for ‘Brockovich’ from “Rocky” and “All the President’s Men”.

He hit a home run with his cast as Julia Roberts was about the biggest name in Hollywood at the time. Her performance as Brockovich was critically acclaimed and she brought home the Best Actress Oscar in 2001 after being nominated for the award three times previously. In addition to the Academy Award, Roberts became the first actress to simultaneously win a best actress Oscar, Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA, the Critics’ Choice Award, and the Golden Globe Award for the same role in the same year.

Albert Finney is one of the most respected actors of all time having Been Oscar nominated five times. He was resistant about taking the role of Ed Masry because he didn’t want to be away from home in L.A. for an extended period of time. Producer Danny Devito stepped in for some arm twisting by using Finney’s girlfriend to help convince him to take the role. It worked and Finney was nominated for Best Supporting Oscar that year.

In addition to the nominations of Soderberg, Finney and the win for Roberts, the film drew two more nominations: one for Best Picture and one for Best Screenplay, for a total of five. Roberts experienced another milestone with the film breaking ground just like the character she portrayed, becoming the first woman to make a $20 million salary for a film. 

I don’t want to say it’s rare that someone who has a movie based on their experience says the end result is unrealistic, but it’s pretty rare. Erin Brockovich has claimed that the film with her name as the title is 99 percent accurate as to how things really happened. That’s a nod to Soderberg and the producing team for just letting a great story tell itself and not mucking it up. 

Having a great story to bring to the big screen is also a nod to its real life leading lady, a single mom, earthmover, and former beauty queen, who quit the pageantry circuit because she found it to be too shallow. Her grit and resilience not only brought people a great film, but lots of assistance and relief to real life victims.

The movie truly was the total package – excellent source material, great critic’s response and audience approval, Oscar nominations and commercial success as well, pulling in $250 million against a $50 million budget. Literally, not one chink in the armor. And that is why it’s a classic.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6-8 p.m. for Nite Lite here on the Civic Media radio network.