Erin Brockovich (film)

Infobox_Film
name = Erin Brockovich

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caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Steven Soderbergh
producer = Danny DeVito
Stacey Sher
Michael Shamberg
Gail Lyon
John Hardy
writer = Susannah Grant
starring = Julia Roberts
Albert Finney
Aaron Eckhart
music = Thomas Newman
cinematography = Ed Lachman
editing = Anne V. Coates
distributor = Universal Pictures
Columbia Pictures
released = March 17, 2000
runtime = 130 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget = $51,000,000
gross = $125,548,685 (domestic) $256,271,286 (worldwide)
website = http://www.erinbrockovich.com/
amg_id = 1:184310
imdb_id = 0195685

"Erin Brockovich" is a 2000 drama film which dramatizes the story of Erin Brockovich's first fight against the American West Coast energy giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company known as PG&E. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and featured actress Julia Roberts in the lead role for which she subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It is based on a true story and the real Erin Brockovich has a cameo appearance as a waitress named Julia. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman.

The film was produced and distributed in North America by Universal Pictures, and was distributed overseas by Columbia Pictures.

Plot

Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is an unemployed single mother of three children who, after losing a personal injury lawsuit against a doctor in a car accident she was in, asks her lawyer, Edward L. Masry (Albert Finney), if he can find her a job in compensation for the loss. Ed gives her work as a file clerk in his office, and she runs across some files on a pro bono case involving real-estate and medical records against PG&E.

Erin begins digging into the particulars of the case, convinced that the facts simply do not add up, and persuades Ed to allow her further research. After investigation, she discovers a systematic cover-up of the industrial poisoning (Hexavalent chromium) of the town of Hinkley's water supply that threatens the health of an entire community. She finds that PG&E is responsible for the extensive illnesses residents of Hinkley have been diagnosed with and fights to bring the company to justice.

Cast

* Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich
* Albert Finney as Edward L. Masry
* Aaron Eckhart as George
* Marg Helgenberger as Donna Jensen
* Tracey Walter as Charles Embry
* Peter Coyote as Kurt Potter
* Cherry Jones as Pamela Duncan
* Erin Brockovich-Ellis as Julia, the waitress

Box office

Made/produced in just 4 months (5 May - August 1999) at a budget of $51 million; in its opening weekend (19 March 2000) it grossed $28,138,465 on 2,848 movie screens in the USA. By August 2000 it grossed $125,548,685 in the U.S. Currently, its worldwide total stands at $256,271,286. It is also rated "R" in the United States but '15' in the UK.

Reception

The majority of critics responded favorably towards the film. It holds a certified "Fresh" rating of 83% on film review website Rotten Tomatoes.

Accuracy

While the general facts of the story are accurate, there are some minor discrepancies between actual events and the movie, as well as a number of controversial and disputed issues more fundamental to the case. In the film, Erin Brockovich appears to deliberately use her cleavage to seduce the water board attendant to allow her to access the documents. Brockovich-Ellis has acknowledged that her cleavage may have had an influence, but denies consciously trying to influence individuals in this way. [http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/brockovich.php Chasing the Frog - Erin Brockovitch - Questioning the Story] ] In the film, Ed Masry represents Erin Brockovich in the car crash case. In reality, it was Jim Vititoe. [ [http://masryvititoe.com/erin_brockovich.shtml Masry & Vititoe - Erin Brockovitch resumé] ] Brockovich had never been Miss Wichita. She had been Miss Pacific Coast. According to Brockovich, this detail was deliberately changed by Soderbergh as he thought it was "cute" to have her be beauty queen of the region from where she came. One of the plaintiffs, Carol Smith, accused the movie of being "mostly lies".

Popular culture references

"The Simpsons" episode "Sweets and Sour Marge" contains some references to Erin Brockovich (most likely the person, not the film). When Marge proposes hiring Brockovich, Bart flatteringly calls Brockovich "the prostitute with a heart of gold". After Judge Snyder bans sugar from Springfield, Homer angrily calls Marge "Erin Choco-snitch" and "Blue Hair-on Brocko-witch". At the end of the end of the episode, praising Marge's ultimately unsuccessful efforts, Homer calls Marge "a regular "Carin' A-Lot-ovich".

References

External links

* [http://www.erinbrockovich.com/ Official movie site]
* [http://www.brockovich.com/ Erin Brockovich-Ellis' official site]
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Box Office Leaders USA
before = "Mission to Mars"
date = March 19
date2 = March 26
year = 2000
after = "American Psycho"