Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich

Best Actress at the 73rd Annual Oscars (2000)

Notable Quote:

I could use nearly any line that she uttered throughout the entire movie, but I’ll go with, “That's all you got, lady! Two wrong feet in fucking ugly shoes!”

Synopsis:

Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a washed up former beauty queen with no job and three kids, so when she does land a position working in a law firm, she rides it out quietly, determined not to make waves. Just kidding, she takes on a major case against a billion-dollar corporation and cusses out everyone that she encounters 😊

The character:

Erin Brockovich is the spiritual successor to Norma Rae Webster: a sassy, brassy working class woman who channels all of her intelligence and rage at injustice into fighting for the little people. Obviously, I worship at this woman’s feet. Once she learns that people have been mistreated, she’s dogged in trying to address the problem. And she advocates for herself too: I love when she badgers her boss into continuing to fight PG&E, and once he finally relents, immediately bargains for a raise for herself.

Erin’s most notable trait is that she’s super sensitive to being disrespected, and every time she senses that someone is looking down on her, she goes nuclear, swearing and insulting them. “Bite my ass, Krispy Kreme!” is pretty emblematic of the level she immediately stoops to (she says this to a co-worker, can you imagine saying that to a person you’d have to see again, I’d quit my job and move to another state!). The movie recognizes that this is a flaw, but also recognizes that it’s fucking hilarious. And to be fair, the movie acknowledges that people legitimately do disrespect Erin constantly, so it’s satisfying to see her given so many opportunities to stand up for herself.

Now, one reason that people look down on Erin is her clothing, which, to be fair, is an extremely unprofessional mess. Her boobs are always out, and she wears sexy mini-dresses and hot pants to work. But there’s something pretty feminist about her desire to dress the way she wants and still be treated with respect, even if it is rooted in some fat shamey shit (“As long as I have one ass instead of two, I'll wear what I like, if that's all right with you.”). And she occasionally uses her sexiness to get what she wants (“They’re called boobs, Ed.”) but she’s never made into a sex object: she’s always in control of her own sexuality.

Erin’s role as a working mom is also fascinating, and manages to subvert several stereotypes. She’s incredibly devoted to her job, and because of that, she misses out on her kid’s lives, but the movie never suggests that she was wrong to prioritize the way she did: in fact, it’s clear that her children are learning from her example. And she’s also not able to “have it all”: she’s deeply sad that she didn’t hear her daughter speak her first words, but that’s part of the price that she pays.

The performance:

This might be my favorite performance that I’ve watched for this column so far? Julia Roberts has more charm in her little finger than most people have on their best days, and she turns that charm up to an eleven for every moment of this film’s runtime. There’s a scene where Erin is just sitting next to Masry, and she’s not saying anything, just intently listening, and I was still completely focused on her, that’s how captivating she is. It’s clear why she was such a bankable movie star.

This is also a role that gives Roberts a lot to do, which pays dividends for the audience, because she nails it all. She gets to cry, she gets to have fun, she gets to be angry – oh man, does she get to be angry. And not just one type of anger, but so many different flavors. There’s the blind rage when she feels mistreated (“I’m not talkin’ to you, bitch!!”), the day-to-day frustration (“Oh, you fucking piece of CRAP with no signal!”), and the icy anger when she’s up against some corporate asshole (“By the way, we had that water brought in special for you folks. Came from a well in Hinkley.”) And it all feels effortless for Roberts, like she might as well just be breathing.

The movie:

Erin Brockovich is such an intriguing movie, dark in subject matter (evil corporations exploiting innocent people and giving them cancer) but really blockbuster-y and goofy in tone. I loved it tbh, the screenwriters do a great job of setting up these obstacles for Erin that are soooo satisfying to see her knock down. They also demonstrate a lot of skill in portraying the legal complexities in a way that’s really easy to understand. Albert Finney also got a Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Ed Masry, which was definitely deserved, his understated performance helps bring the film to life. This movie is a real feel-good watch.

Was the Oscar deserved?

Yes, I’d give Julia Roberts another Oscar for this performance if I could.