ERIN
BROCKOVICH
I'm
not sure how this tv movie got made into a feature.
Which is not a put down of tv movies. The best drama
writing these days is on television, and it's not
even close.
But
the fact is, this is a standard injustice movie where
an idealistic crusader helps the little guy beat the
big corporate bullies. The twist is that this crusader
is not a big-shot lawyer or a 60 Minutes tv producer,
she's an out-of-work blue collar girl with three kids
and no husband and no self-esteem.
There
are few plot surprises here. But the movie has an
emotional payoff at the end because a lot of innocent
people had their lives destroyed and the hero forces
those reponsible to pay. We know that kind of justice
doesn't happen much in life. So when we see it, it
feels good.
Hats
off to Marg Helgenberger for her performance and to
Julia Roberts who finally found a dramatic role that
could show off her strengths.
|