Review of Erin Brockovich

There's nothing dynamic or exciting about "Erin Brockovich" save for Julia Roberts' fiery, Oscar-winning lead performance. She plays the real-life single mother of three who gets a job in a law firm and proceeds to take on a huge corporation responsible for contaminating water in a Southern California city. The residents of that town aren't given any real shadings--we meet most of them on the fly--and Erin's co-workers and boss are a typical office bunch. Director Steven Soderbergh is offered no opportunities here to get flashy, but he does solid work up to the tag (which is silly). Roberts, on the other hand, gets to act all over the place, and it's nice to see her doing well in a role that requires more than just her movie star smile and figure. An interesting case which makes for an entertaining and emotional film. Five Oscar nominations in all, including Best Picture. *** from ****