Erin Brokovich, Essay Example

Summary

In director Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 film, Erin Brokovich, Julia Roberts plays a young, single mother of three facing hard times. Unemployed, a minor car accident brings her in contact with an attorney (played by Albert Finney), and she manages to get work in his office. Meanwhile, romance begins with a biker who lives next door, although the character of Erin is clearly toughened by experience and not easily taken in.

Brokovich’s aggressive manner, flashy clothes, and lack of formal education create problems with her boss and her co-workers, but she holds her ground and digs deep into what turns out to be a major case of environmental abuse by the monolithic energy provider of the area. There are setbacks, both personally and professionally, but Brokovich perseveres: “Brokovich managed to bring Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) to trial for contaminating groundwater in a small town in California and win a $333 million settlement – the largest settlement in U.S. history in a direct-action lawsuit” (Witter, 138). The film was a major success, both critically and commercially. It won Academy Award nominations for Roberts and director Soderbergh, with a win for Roberts.

The Director

With a resume including films like Kafka and Sex, Lies, and Videotape behind him, Steven Soderbergh came to Erin Brokovich almost as a Hollywood “bad boy”.  He certainly did not appear to be the sort of bankable, mainstream director a Julia Roberts film would command. It may have been his darker vision, however, which made him attractive to the producers, who were intent on bringing out a gritty, realistic persona from the popular Roberts.

Maybe understanding that this film was a potential milestone in his career, Soderbergh adopted a relatively conventional approach to the story. There are no tricks, and there is no deliberate, added darkness to the film. Soderbergh, in fact, seems to let the momentum of the story, fueled by the star power of Roberts, do most of the work: “For the most part he allowed his stylistic inquisitiveness to take a back seat to the naturalism of the performances and the essential humanism of the story” (Wood, 71).  Aside from some stunning cinematography, adding stark depth and beauty to the dull, nearly desert landscapes, there is little evidence of any director’s distinctive style. Only, again, the pace of the story informs the viewer that a real professional is at the controls.

If Soderbergh has a unique viewpoint, it is either sacrificed to the story or at one with it. That is to say, as director, he was given a very specific product, the story of an underdog who triumphs. This is not a theme that lends itself to interpretation, except in the more visual aspects of presentation. Here, and wisely, Soderbergh does reveal a strength; he goes for as realistic a portrayal as he can project. The poverty of Brokovich is not “pretty”, as her issues with the man in her life are not romanticized.

The most interesting example of Soderbergh showing himself as having a distinct point of view lies in the minor scenes of confrontation between Brokovich and her coworkers in regard to her dress. Another director might have made more of this, to champion her independent spirit. Soderbergh, however, seems to know that both star and script are more than handling that cause. He underplays these brief moments, adding to the realism of the film and helping to prevent it from reaching into overt sentimentality. Here, as in the whole, movie, Soderbergh is solidly on the side of his heroine, but he never trumpets the fact. He realizes that he does not have to, and that going overboard in any aspect of the filming would hurt the impact.

Personal Perspective

I believe that Soderbergh’s approach to Erin Brokovich was, essentially, the only road to take. The reality is that he was handed a massive project, and a major star vehicle. That the story was true and unpleasant in many ways was beside the point, as Julia Roberts was a beloved and immensely popular actor. Add to this the David-and-Goliath victory, along with turbulent romance with a handsome leading man, and Soderbergh truly needed to make his direction as stark and plain as possible.

In a sense, and ironically, this approach is what saves Erin Brokovich as a film. It is what makes it an actual film, and not merely the pop movie it easily could have been. Certainly, there were enough critics to object to the romance and “Hollywood” aspects of the movie, even as straightforwardly done by Soderbergh: “…A fairy tale is what Erin Brokovich becomes. It retells the fantasy that selflessness and self-interest are perfectly congruent” (Scott, 260).

It seems almost ridiculous to say it, but the enormous appeal and popularity of Erin Brokovich is not Soderbergh’s fault. Critics took issue with the fairy tale theme, yet the story is a true one. Only a few details have been brought out as inconsistent with the reality. Then, the likeability of Roberts is also something Soderbergh had to work with, and he successfully downplays her attractiveness by bringing out a performance that never seeks to ingratiate itself.

In working with this material and star, it seems to me that Soderbergh did what any fine director would do under the circumstances. He filmed it evenly and plainly, never attempting to gloss over either setting or actors. He took a story about a stunning victory over injustice and simply laid it out, step by step. If the audience or the critics loved Erin Brokovich only because of the happy ending or star, they also owe Soderbergh for presenting both in a way that insults no one’s intelligence.

Works Cited

Scott, A. O. The New York Times Film Reviews, 1999-2000. New York, NY: Times Books, 2001. Print.

Witter, L. The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World – and How to Reach Them. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2009. Print.

Wood, J. Steven Soderbergh. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Publishing, 2002. Print.