May. 21, 2002 - 3:27 am
i decided it was time for me to see the big two Steven Soderbergh films from 2000. this is one of them. and you'll probably remember that Julia Roberts got Best Actress for her performance here. she was indeed very good as always in this role. i think the main thing that pushed it over the edge for her specifically was her character's complexity. this was more than just her being cute throughout the film. she was often really bitchy but she was just excellent with the children. the way she reacted to them and the way they reacted to her was great. i'm not a huge Julia Roberts fan, but she's in no way untalented.
the main thing that finally convinced me to see Erin Brockovich? Albert Finney. i was not disappointed. after seeing him a couple of weeks ago in Tom Jones (1963) i finally saw how completely outstanding he is. and Ed Masry, his character, is wonderfully written. i still need to see Miller's Crossing (1990) though.
i couldn't help but pay attention to some strange costuming ideas presented in this movie. the next door neighbor/romantic interest for Erin, George, is a "harley guy." yet he's sensitive, understanding, good with children. when we first see him and we're supposed to think of him as a noisy idiot that is completely suspect, he's got a goatee and huge chops. later on when they start to get together and we see his intelligent, more caring side, he wears more around-the-house type clothes and these intellectual-looking glasses. is the audience for the film really expected to be so dense that it needs these extreme costume changes to tell us about the characters? i felt like dad was overexplaining and i was just nodding..."yes, yes i know."
music. hmmm...the Sheryl Crow stuff kind of bothered me. gave too much of a poppy feel that the film didn't need. and the basic soundtrack with the piano stuff was way too reminiscent of American Beauty (1999). oh, am i good or what? i'm looking at the IMDb right now. composer for Erin Brockovich...Thomas Newman. American Beauty, Thomas Newman. and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). i'm seeing a pattern here. i felt it was really unoriginal in this film though. try harder Thomas! try harder!
the plot wasn't outstandingly original, but it kept me entertained for the full 2 hours. if it weren't for Albert Finney and Julia Roberts it might get a lower score. but i'll give it an 7/10 i think.
oooh, Insomnia comes out this weekend. Christopher Nolan (Memento (2000)) directs and it stars Robin Williams and Al Pacino. look into it.