'Erin Brockovich' -- essentially the triumph of the underdog
'Erin Brockovich' -- essentially the triumph of the underdog
By Tam Notosusanto
JAKARTA (JP): She may not seem like a role model: a twice-
divorced woman with three young children, no permanent job and no
college degree, a nastier attitude than your neighbor's pet
rottweiler and an outrageous taste for clothing that is an
eyesore.
But Erin Brockovich is a hero in her own right. It is her
persistence and tenacity that motivated the citizens of a small
California town to file a lawsuit against a giant corporation
that was contaminating their water with toxic chemical waste.
They were triumphant when the court ordered Pacific Gas &
Electric to pay US$333 million to the plaintiffs, a record in the
history of direct-action lawsuits in the United States.
The movie Erin Brockovich does not intend to be a historical
account of this 1993 legal battle, and so it is perfectly all
right that this review reveals the story's final outcome. This
movie is essentially about the triumph of the underdog, and how
it can happen around us, in real life.
The film begins with Erin (Julia Roberts) desperately looking
for employment while swimming in debts and struggling to look
after her three young offspring. In the midst of it all, she
becomes a victim in a car accident, and her effort to sue the
motorist falls through when she cannot restrain herself from
spewing profanity at him during the trial.
Her desperation leads her back to her own attorney, aging
lawyer Ed Masry (Albert Finney). In the film's most achingly
funny scene, she both harangues and pleads with him into giving
her a job at his office.
It is at Masry & Vittitoe that Erin reinvents herself. In the
office's filing jungle, she discovers some land deal documents
curiously attached with some medical records. Her inquisitive
mind brings her to the town of Hinkley. She interviews some of
the townsfolk and learns of Pacific Gas & Oil's scheme to buy
property from the town's citizens, and of the company's effort to
enlighten them about the "safe" chromium which the company's has
been using in its neighboring plant.
Erin's investigation discloses that the chromium that PG&E
employs to prevent rust in their machinery is not safe at all.
It has been going into the town's water supply for years and may
have been responsible for the various kinds of illnesses
affecting locals.
The discovery leads to a fierce legal battle that positions
Erin as Masry's most trusted assistant and elevates Masry &
Vittitoe from an insignificant law firm to a venerable legal
machine.
In the spirit of Norma Rae, that 1979 movie about the
fictional labor union heroine, Erin Brockovich captures what
essentially is key to this woman's achievement: her understanding
of common folk. She unearths the truth from her patient handling
of the Hinkley citizens, and later, she uses her rapport with
them to motivate them to file the lawsuit.
Screenwriter Susannah Grant, who gave us a postmodernist
Cinderella in Ever After, presents a more down-to-earth heroine
in Erin, showing her foibles and that she would not be able to do
all the great things if George (Aaron Eckhart), the benevolent
ponytailed biker next-door, was not around to look after her
children. Grant also gives us many reasons to cheer for this
woman in her flashy attire, especially every time she manages to
stand up against all those arrogant lawyers in their sinister
suits.
We would not be seeing Erin in all her dynamic glory if it
were not for Roberts' supercharged performance (the real Erin
Brockovich cameos as a diner waitress wearing the name plate
Julia). Roberts' face may still look too much like a movie star,
but her body and spirit effortlessly blend into Erin's rebellious
nature and her messy hairdo.
As Masry, veteran thespian Finney reminds us of Ed Asner's Lou
Grant, a paternal, middle-aged tenderheart who can go ballistic
to comical effect when most needed. Marg Helgenberger pulls at
our heartstrings in her brief scenes as one of the Hinkley
casualties.
The biggest surprise of all is director Steven Soderbergh,
famous for his quirky debut sex, lies and videotape in 1989 and a
string of independent circle follow-ups. Erin Brockovich is his
first totally mainstream piece, and it's remarkable how he frees
himself from his usual devices -- nonlinear storyline and
irregular camera work -- and still manages to bring out a film as
great as any of his previous vehicles. The way he presents human
beings and humanity in his films is his strength and no matter
what style he uses, he remains a true cinematic master.