Product Description

A real woman. A real story. A real triumph. Julia Roberts stars as Erin Brockovich, a feisty young mother who fought for justice any way she knew how. Desperate for a job to support herself and her three children, she convinces attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney) to hire her, and promptly stumbles upon a monumental law case against a giant corporation. Now, Erin's determined to take on this powerful adversary even though no law firm has dared to do it before. And while Ed doesn't want anything to do with the case, Erin won't take "no" for an answer. So the two begin an incredible and sometimes hilarious fight that will bring a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2427 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-08-15
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 132 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Much will be made of Julia Roberts's wardrobe in Erin Brockovich--a brash parade of daring hemlines and Wonderbra confidence. Roberts is unabashedly sexy in the title role of this fact-based comedy-drama, but she and director Steven Soderbergh are far too intelligent to rely solely on high heels and cleavage. Susannah Grant's brassy screenplay fuels this winning combination of star, director, and material, firing on all pistons with maximum efficiency. With Ed Lachman, his noted cinematographer from The Limey, Soderbergh tackles this A-list project with the fervor of an independent, combining a no-frills look with kinetic panache and the same brisk editorial style he used in the justly celebrated Out of Sight.

Broke and desperate, the twice-divorced single mom Erin bosses her way into a clerical job with attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney), who's indebted to Erin after failing to win her traffic-injury case. Erin is soon focused on suspicious connections between a mighty power company, its abuse of toxic chromium, and the poisoned water supply of Hinkley, California, where locals have suffered a legacy of death and disease. Matching the dramatic potency of Norma Rae and Silkwood, Erin Brockovich filters cold facts through warm humanity, especially in Erin's rapport with dying victims and her relationship with George (superbly played by Aaron Eckhart), a Harley-riding neighbor who offers more devotion than Erin's ever known. Surely some of these details have been embellished for dramatic effect, but the factual basis of Erin Brockovich adds a boost of satisfaction, proving that greed, neglect, and corporate arrogance are no match against a passionate crusader. (Trivia note: The real Erin Brockovich appears briefly as a diner waitress.) --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com
Much will be made of Julia Roberts's wardrobe in Erin Brockovich--a brash parade of daring hemlines and Wonderbra confidence. Roberts is unabashedly sexy in the title role of this fact-based comedy-drama, but she and director Steven Soderbergh are far too intelligent to rely solely on high heels and cleavage. Susannah Grant's brassy screenplay fuels this winning combination of star, director, and material, firing on all pistons with maximum efficiency. With Ed Lachman, his noted cinematographer from The Limey, Soderbergh tackles this A-list project with the fervor of an independent, combining a no-frills look with kinetic panache and the same brisk editorial style he used in the justly celebrated Out of Sight.

Broke and desperate, the twice-divorced single mom Erin bosses her way into a clerical job with attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney), who's indebted to Erin after failing to win her traffic-injury case. Erin is soon focused on suspicious connections between a mighty power company, its abuse of toxic chromium, and the poisoned water supply of Hinkley, California, where locals have suffered a legacy of death and disease. Matching the dramatic potency of Norma Rae and Silkwood, Erin Brockovich filters cold facts through warm humanity, especially in Erin's rapport with dying victims and her relationship with George (superbly played by Aaron Eckhart), a Harley-riding neighbor who offers more devotion than Erin's ever known. Surely some of these details have been embellished for dramatic effect, but the factual basis of Erin Brockovich adds a boost of satisfaction, proving that greed, neglect, and corporate arrogance are no match against a passionate crusader. (Trivia note: The real Erin Brockovich appears briefly as a diner waitress.) --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
A perfect complement to the movie itself, "The Making of Erin Brockovich" introduces viewers to Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry, the real-life inspiration for characters played by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney. In addition to appearing in the documentary, director Steven Soderbergh provides intelligent reasoning (in a separate audio commentary) for the deletion of several interesting but ultimately unnecessary scenes. "Erin Brockovich: A Look at a Real-Life Experience" is equally rewarding, offering a more in-depth profile of Brockovich and her long struggle toward personal and professional validation. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Horrible.
Erin Brockovich is a slow, boring, and contrived film. Julia Roberts didn't deserved that Best Actress Oscar, that honor should've been given to Ellen Burstyn for Requiem for a Dream. Robert's acting is pretty bad in this film, she's given better and heartfelt performances than this! Albert Finney is the only one who makes a lasting impression. The story sounds good but doesn't translate through film. Don't waste your time and money on this turkey.

Cheeky, brazen and extremely clever; this is a film to love...
I don't understand how anyone couldn't love Julia Roberts. I mean I guess I can see how maybe she just isn't your brand of actress, but truly, she is extraordinary. She has turned out classic performance after classic performance and is a standup person to boot. Her portrayal of Erin Brockovich may actually be one of her most challenging roles and she delivers it with such precise determination and dedication that she becomes so real and engaging and truly memorable. The best thing about `Erin Brockovich' though is that Roberts is not the only reason to stay and watch. Sure, she has everything a movie star needs to keep her audience at her beck-and-call, but Soderbergh (who had such a marvelous year in 2000) doesn't rely solely on Roberts to carry his film.

`Erin Brockovich' sports a brilliant script penned by Susannah Grant that utilizes fact with Hollywood drama and peppers in enough humor and charm to make the film stand out apart from your everyday biopic.

The film tells to story of Erin Brockovich, a brash young single mother who winds up working for attorney Ed Masry. Erin doesn't always rub people the right way, but her blunt self-confidence carries her a long way in the legal world, especially when she takes it upon herself to investigate further a case involving a power company and their blatant disregard for the health of the citizens of Hinkley, California. As Erin becomes absorbed in the case her personal life starts to take a turn as she meets her kind-hearted yet gruff-exteriored neighbor George. `Erin Brockovich' does a masterful job of melding this woman's personal and professional life together in a way that makes both sides of her interesting and entertaining, never once waning.

One of the main reasons to watch this film is to witness the rapport between the actors on the screen. Julia Roberts is a standout, obviously, but everyone involved pulls their weight and works wonderfully together. Albert Finney is flawless as Ed Masry and should have won that Oscar. His chemistry with Roberts is beautiful to witness, just beautiful. In infuses this sense of paternal concern into his performance that makes Masry a likable and relatable character. Another standout is Aaron Eckhart who marvelously captures the heart of George. He plays to Roberts strengths and helps keep the personal side of this story lively and tender.

In the end, `Erin Brockovich' is a film that stands on its own, a film that deserves to be seen and lauded. Roberts received countless amounts of praise for her performance (and a much deserved Oscar to boot) but I think the Academy Award nominations for Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Director and Best Picture speak for themselves in declaring just how impressive this film really is.

Excellent watcing on HD DVD
I have always loved this movie. The look and feel of the golden hues makes the desert setting feel hot to the touch. It also gives the movie a time in history. You feel as though the movie is about something that happened back in the 70's, yet the content and the message is clear. Colorful is not where this movie shines and on HD DVD it might seem like a waste. But watching this movie in hi-def is worth the price of admission. HD DVD may be dead, but it still looks great and my HD DVD players don't lock up constantly.

I am still amazed at all the whining about the death of HD DVD. I have got so many movies for literally nothing. Will I ever buy blu-ray? Maybe when they are giving them away under $100 and the movies are less than $20. Otherwise, I won't be surprised at the monetary losses that will continue to occur in the blu-ray camp. Still too bad that the experimental blu-ray succeeded when a format that had a standard like HD-DVD died. Oh well, that is what is great about capitalism, the best can lose and the mediocre can win.

Back to Erin Brockovich. If you like Julia Roberts acting like a regular JANE and appreciate her drive and blatant honesty, then you will love this movie. If everybody had a backbone, a desire to make things right, and not be afraid to tell the truth the world wouldn't be so sc**wed up. Did Erin make the the best decisions? No. Did she run the risk of getting snuffed by PG&E for exposing their illegal activities? Yes. Regardless if it is all true, it is a movie that gives the little guy hope that the big corporations can not get away with murder.