One of the worst movies of 2000...
Added 9/21/2009
I cannot believe the abomination that is Erin Brockovich. This is a $100 million+ grossing wretched trash catered to the audience in the same fashion as Patch Adams. Anybody who loathes the manipulative, vulgar and sentimental Patch Adams will hate Erin Brockovich as well. Steven Soderbergh directed this saponaceous and sanitized Hollywood version after his botched effort The Limey and he does with his annoying guerilla cinematic gimmicks as usual -- which is also an irritating factor of the film. What really grates my nerve the most is not only Julia Roberts' bizarre and over-the-top portrayal of the real-life Erin Brockovich whose attitude and lifestyle are rude, irresponsible and repugnant but also the fact Steven Soderbergh and the screenwriter seem to believe this is an important "message movie". If that's the actual intent of the film, then it fails because it definitely isn't the emotionally intense and sympathetic movie unlike Michael Mann's brilliant film The Insider. It just ends up cumbersome and retch-inducing with the forced "stand-up-and-cheer happy ending" that borders on utter audience manipulation. These and the steady stream of coarse and vulgar language throughout the movie -- especially in the scenes where Erin cuss at her kids and desecrated over 600 clients with her "sexual favor" reference intended as a sarcastic joke -- made me despise the movie with vehemence. If this movie was meant to reflect the exhibition of the vulgar attitude by the real-life Erin Brockovich, then I have no respect for her as an intelligible human being whatsoever. Any movie glorifying the cynical attitude of the characters and screwed-up lifestyles like the ghastly overrated American Beauty do not deserve my respect. This movie is an insult to my perceptive sense of common sense, decency and intelligence.
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beware of format
Added 9/18/2009
The movie Erin Brockovich is wonderful -- an important story, well-told. However, it was not clear at the time of ordering this particular video version that it would not be compatible with an HD Tv and regular DVD player. The format of the HD DVD version cannot be played without a proprietary HD DVD player. The 1-star rating is just to get your attention to the problem. The original film is at least 4-star!
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The Benefits of Ambulance Chasing!
Added 9/8/2009
Julia Roberts gives an excellent and Oscar worthy performance of real-life character Erin Brockovich who in finding a way to make ends meet stumbles upon a case of big corporate bully and exploiter of the innocent against the simple folk and serves as the catalyst in putting ambulance chasing to good use for a change. In stark contrast to the beginning of the show where Erin fails to take advantage of ambulance chasing on the small scale with her traffic accident claim the huge payoff she gets at the end of the show where she presumably helps more people than just herself and her kids seems to argue a case for the necessity of this particular form of legal practice to protect the little guy who would otherwise have no way to seek proper justice.
It is indeed amazingly hypocritical for Americans to decry poisonous Chinese-made toys and/or melamine laced candy when they themselves are poisoning their own citizen's drinking water however this in no way excuses the Chinese situation naturally although it is interesting to see just how if given a chance American companies would happily kill innocents for the almighty dollar without a second thought.
This dvd has good special features such as interviews with Erin herself as well as a making-of documentary. The picture and sound quality are both good without any obvious blemish to report. It's hard to resist an underdog makes good story like this one and for this reason, this film ages pretty well. Not the best film I've ever seen but certainly not the worst either.
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Outstanding Movie-Must see!
Added 5/29/2009
Everyone must see this movie! Julia Roberts does a fantastic job playin Erin and really makes the movie worth watching. One of my all time favorites.
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Drama in a Civil Suit
Added 5/27/2009
The film opens with an interview of a young woman. "Look." She leaves disappointed, and her car is hit when someone drives through a red light. The testimony in court doesn't go well; inappropriate language for this young mother may prejudice the jury. [Unfair, but that is life.] She applies for jobs over the phone. No experience? Erin gets a job at that law firm. She meets the new neighbors. Does she have problems at work? Erin learns why there are medical records in a real estate file. The Jensen family has medical problems. Chromium is involved, it can be deadly. There is a factory a few hundred yards away. Erin searches the records at the water board and finds evidence of pollution. Was she a beauty queen? [Looks aren't everything, manners count.]
Lawyer Ed Masry drops by for information. Erin gets even more information. Did PG&E pay for that doctor? The illnesses of the Jensen family can be explained by exposure to chromium hexavalent-6. "Wow!". Former neighbors of the Jensen's visit the office for advice. Lawyer Ed explains the laws, Erin explains the costs of litigation. Erin wears sandals in a barn yard! She talks to other neighbors. There are four more families involved. Can Erin find the evidence for law suits? Will she be threatened? Will the case become too large for a small firm? The judge upholds the suits, they will go to trial. Erin's job made her respected by people. [Feared rather than loved?] Masry has a new partner with the most experience in toxic tort law.
PG&E wants the case settled by arbitration. Erin still has a problem in dealing with people. Lawyer Theresa does not have the common touch. There is a problem in their suits, all of the plaintiffs must agree. If they don't use binding arbitration the case can go on for 15 or 20 years. Erin gets the signatures of the plaintiffs. Would a chance meeting bring new evidence? "How did you do this?" The judge decides for the plaintiffs, the amount is on the high end. Erin, ever abrasive, gets a surprise from Lawyer Ed. "Do beauty queens know how to apologize?" The settlement in Hinkley vs. PG&E was the largest award in a direct-action lawsuit in US history. Other suits against PG&E were pending.
This film dramatizes the events behind the law suit. The real Erin plays the part of the waitress early in this film. Note how the story of this law suit was boosted by personal drama. Compare it to "A Civil Action".
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One of the worst movies of 2000...
Added 9/21/2009
I cannot believe the abomination that is Erin Brockovich. This is a $100 million+ grossing wretched trash catered to the audience in the same fashion as Patch Adams. Anybody who loathes the manipulative, vulgar and sentimental Patch Adams will hate Erin Brockovich as well. Steven Soderbergh directed this saponaceous and sanitized Hollywood version after his botched effort The Limey and he does with his annoying guerilla cinematic gimmicks as usual -- which is also an irritating factor of the film. What really grates my nerve the most is not only Julia Roberts' bizarre and over-the-top portrayal of the real-life Erin Brockovich whose attitude and lifestyle are rude, irresponsible and repugnant but also the fact Steven Soderbergh and the screenwriter seem to believe this is an important "message movie". If that's the actual intent of the film, then it fails because it definitely isn't the emotionally intense and sympathetic movie unlike Michael Mann's brilliant film The Insider. It just ends up cumbersome and retch-inducing with the forced "stand-up-and-cheer happy ending" that borders on utter audience manipulation. These and the steady stream of coarse and vulgar language throughout the movie -- especially in the scenes where Erin cuss at her kids and desecrated over 600 clients with her "sexual favor" reference intended as a sarcastic joke -- made me despise the movie with vehemence. If this movie was meant to reflect the exhibition of the vulgar attitude by the real-life Erin Brockovich, then I have no respect for her as an intelligible human being whatsoever. Any movie glorifying the cynical attitude of the characters and screwed-up lifestyles like the ghastly overrated American Beauty do not deserve my respect. This movie is an insult to my perceptive sense of common sense, decency and intelligence.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
beware of format
Added 9/18/2009
The movie Erin Brockovich is wonderful -- an important story, well-told. However, it was not clear at the time of ordering this particular video version that it would not be compatible with an HD Tv and regular DVD player. The format of the HD DVD version cannot be played without a proprietary HD DVD player. The 1-star rating is just to get your attention to the problem. The original film is at least 4-star!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
The Benefits of Ambulance Chasing!
Added 9/8/2009
Julia Roberts gives an excellent and Oscar worthy performance of real-life character Erin Brockovich who in finding a way to make ends meet stumbles upon a case of big corporate bully and exploiter of the innocent against the simple folk and serves as the catalyst in putting ambulance chasing to good use for a change. In stark contrast to the beginning of the show where Erin fails to take advantage of ambulance chasing on the small scale with her traffic accident claim the huge payoff she gets at the end of the show where she presumably helps more people than just herself and her kids seems to argue a case for the necessity of this particular form of legal practice to protect the little guy who would otherwise have no way to seek proper justice.
It is indeed amazingly hypocritical for Americans to decry poisonous Chinese-made toys and/or melamine laced candy when they themselves are poisoning their own citizen's drinking water however this in no way excuses the Chinese situation naturally although it is interesting to see just how if given a chance American companies would happily kill innocents for the almighty dollar without a second thought.
This dvd has good special features such as interviews with Erin herself as well as a making-of documentary. The picture and sound quality are both good without any obvious blemish to report. It's hard to resist an underdog makes good story like this one and for this reason, this film ages pretty well. Not the best film I've ever seen but certainly not the worst either.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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