The Film
Julia Roberts, Oscar winner? Back when the 1990 comedy Pretty Woman shot Roberts into the stratosphere, the actress seemed destined to a life of cutesy rom-coms -- if she were lucky enough. (Anyone remember I Love Trouble? Exactly.) However, she got her statue and the chance to prove that she wasn't just a big smile and a cackle, by teaming up with director Steven Soderbergh for Erin Brockovich.
Roberts plays the title character, a twice-divorced mother of three who can't seem to get a break. After a car accident, she begs her way into a job with lawyer Ed Masry (Albert Finney), where her mouth and her wardrobe don't exactly endear her to co-workers. She quickly gets fired, but not before uncovering some interesting facts about a certain case.
Erin uses her femininely charms (and a whole lot of Wonderbras) to investigate the case a little further. Turns out that Pacific Gas & Electric had been dumping chemicals into the local water supply and making a whole lot of people sick. The rest is history -- literally.
Erin Brockovich is the type of movie that typically has the words "Lifetime movie" written all over it. However, stellar casting and directing take it to a whole new level. It's no Silkwood, but it's remarkably well done. Of course, much of that has to do with Soderbergh, but some accolades should go to costars Aaron Eckhart and Marg Helgenberger. They're fantastic. Oh, and of course, Roberts. Those Wonderbras may have enhanced certain portions, but that performance is all her's.
Want to dig a little deeper into the movie's subject matter? Check out Joe Lozito's theatrical review of Erin Brockovich.
The Picture
Universal's Blu-ray shouldn't be too surprising for anyone who picked up the 2007 HD-DVD release. The 1.85:1 transfer is a little heavy on the orange, but again, this shouldn't be a surprise; that's just how Steven Soderbergh likes it. Black levels are nice and there's a good overall contrast. It doesn't have a lot of pop, but it's a good-looking transfer, with great details on those close-ups of Julia Roberts -- and there are a lot of those.
The Sound
Erin Brockovich is all about the dialogue, which this DTS-HD Master Audio track delivers just fine. Everything else hovers towards the front, including the score. It's nothing to get too excited about, but is just fine for this type of movie.
The Extras
The extras here are pretty slim, with the longest portion being deleted scenes. Besides the runtime, these are a bit of a standout since they include optional commentary by Steven Soderbergh. There's also a 15-minute making-of featurette and the film's trailer. The real shame, though, is that the real life Erin Brockovich gets less than four minutes in a brief, SD featurette.
Final Thoughts
Erin Brockovich gives Julia Roberts a chance to show her (ahem) talents. That said, they don't give out those Oscars for nothing, you know. The film is a good one, and the Blu-ray is just good enough to make this a worthy purchase.
Product Details
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