The 2000 legal drama Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts in an Oscar-winning performance, marked its 25th anniversary earlier this year.

In 1993, Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a single mother of three who is injured in a car accident and sues the doctor involved. Her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), expects to win, but Erin’s behavior under cross-examination costs the case, and Ed stops returning her calls. She later shows up at his office asking for a job, and Ed reluctantly hires her as a legal assistant.

Erin is assigned files for a case involving Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and a Hinkley, California resident, Donna Jensen (Marg Helgenberger). She notices medical records in the file and learns the Jensens have experienced serious illnesses linked to chromium in their water. Erin investigates further, discovering that PG&E has contaminated the groundwater with a dangerous form of chromium while claiming it is safe.

Initially fired for spending too much time in the field, Erin is rehired after Ed realizes she has been actively investigating the case. She visits residents, documents illnesses, and builds a record of the contamination. The Jensens’ claim expands into a class-action lawsuit, though evidence initially only connects the local plant to the illnesses, not the corporate office.

Ed arranges for binding arbitration, which requires nearly all plaintiffs to agree. Erin secures the consent of all 634 affected residents. A former PG&E employee provides documents proving corporate knowledge of the contamination dating back decades. The company is ordered to pay a $333 million settlement, and Erin receives a $2 million bonus for her work on the case.

It’s challenging enough for a director to receive one Academy Award nomination for Best Director in a single year, let alone two. And yet, Steven Soderbergh accomplished that feat in 2000 with his work on both Erin Brockovich and Traffic. Both films went on to receive Best Picture nominations. Julia Roberts won the Oscar for Best Actress, while Albert Finney earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as did Susannah Grant for Best Original Screenplay. Roberts and Finney were also recognized by their peers with wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Soderbergh also deserves credit for pushing to film at the actual locations, a decision that adds a strong sense of authenticity to Erin Brockovich. This is not a story that could easily be recreated on a Hollywood backlot or by standing in for California somewhere else. The inclusion of real plaintiffs as extras further reinforces that authenticity, particularly during the meeting explaining binding arbitration and its consequences.

Julia Roberts delivers a phenomenal performance as Erin Brockovich, one that resulted in a clean sweep throughout awards season. She clearly conveys Erin’s commitment to the plaintiffs and her determination to secure justice on their behalf. Few people in her position would rise to the challenge the way Erin does. Her final monologue is especially memorable, capped by Ed’s callback about whether beauty queens are taught to apologize. The film does omit a real-life detail, however: Erin was hospitalized after becoming sick from toxin exposure.

While Erin Brockovich offers audiences a kickass role model, it is not a conventional courtroom drama. Instead, the film focuses on the step-by-step process of building the case, with courtroom scenes kept to a minimum. This is not really something that one would expect from the great legal thrillers authored by the likes of John Grisham or Brad Meltzer. That said, the film does take dramatic liberties. Only Erin, Ed, and George (Aaron Eckhart) are real people; most other characters are fictional or composites.

The events of Erin Brockovich unfold over roughly three years. By the time the film opened in March 2000, seven other cases were still pending, including another lawsuit involving a PG&E plant in Kettleman Hills, California. If the Hinkley case alone isn’t unsettling enough, the existence of these additional cases underscores the broader stakes. Corporations should never escape accountability, particularly when their actions cause lasting harm to entire communities.

More procedural than courtroom spectacle, Erin Brockovich succeeds as a legal drama through its attention to detail and Julia Roberts’ Oscar-winning performance.

DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
SCREENWRITER: Susannah Grant
CAST: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Cherry Jones, Veanne Cox, Conchata Ferrell, Tracey Walter

Universal Pictures released Erin Brockovich in theaters on March 17, 2000. Grade: 5/5

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