Julia Gets Sassy
Brockovich is Fun but Endearing

They said that Julia Roberts couldn't do drama. With a smile that lights up a screen and a charm that makes audiences demand a happy ending, they said this pretty woman could never play a serious role.

Playing an unemployed, twice-divorced, mother of three, Roberts tackles the serious role head on, but not without some laughs. As the title character in Erin Brockovich, she yells, cusses, and wears clothes more reminiscent of her role as a street walker in Pretty Woman. And yes, there are quite a few remarks about her boobs.

After a hit-and-run accident, Erin seeks the council of Ed Masry (Albert Finney) to help sue the man who sideswiped her car. After her brazen attitude costs her the trial, she hounds Masry for weeks until she finally shows up at his office begging for a job. He reluctantly agrees and she becomes something between a curse and a blessing for the law firm.

When Erin files a real estate case with medical records in it, she starts to ask questions and soon uncovers a case of water contamination. The residents of Hinkley have no idea that contaminated water is responsible for the sicknesses in their town.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the "based on a true story" of Erin Brockovich avoids most of the pitfalls that could have doomed this movie. For one, it avoids lengthy courtroom scenes and focuses on the human drama. Unlike the movie A Civil Action, which has a similar court case, Soderbergh shows the audience the victims of the pollution and the sicknesses plaguing them. Second, even though the story centers on Erin, the film doesn't let the audience forget about the other characters involved.

Roberts is given a wonderful supporting cast, especially Finney, who plays her gruff boss Ed Masry. Rather than taking second fiddle to Roberts, Finney has moments when he outshines her, both in his strength as a lawyer and in his weakness as an imperfect human being. Aaron Eckhart (Any Given Sunday) plays the next-door neighbor, George, a motorcyclist and construction worker who becomes a nanny for Erin. Inevitably, George and Erin become involved, but while he could have faded into the background, Soderbergh reuses him time and again to remind Erin of her commitment to her family.

Although Erin Brockovich doesn't have much courtroom drama, it does tell a powerful story about people. There are some wonderfully funny moments, but it is a serious story. Roberts, however, manages to make it all work. Those who feared she would be ineffectual in a serious role have finally been proven wrong.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 145 min.