Erin Brockovich movie poster
Poster © Universal Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
GenreBiography & Drama
RatedR
Runtime2 hr 11 mins
ReleasedMarch 17, 2000
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorSteven Soderbergh
StarringJulia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart

Erin Brockovich (2000)

movie.guru URL: https://movie.guru/erin-brockovich-movie-review
Erin Brockovich's Details
GenreBiography & Drama
RatedR
Released03/14/2000 (Los Angeles); 03/17/2000 (United States)
StreamingSee Where to Watch on this page.
Running Time2 hr 11 mins
Budget$52M (reported)
Box OfficeUpdated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Erin Brockovich's Interests
GeneralBanker's boxes, water samples, Hinkley, the Mojave Desert, legal pads, showing up uninvited.
MusicThomas Newman
MoviesA Civil Action (1998) and Dark Waters (2019). More fights over what is in the water.
TelevisionRebel. A 2021 series inspired by the real Erin Brockovich.
HeroesThe real Erin Brockovich, who has a cameo as a diner waitress.
Erin Brockovich's Crew
DirectorSteven Soderbergh
WritersSusannah Grant
ProducersDanny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
CinematographyEd Lachman
MusicThomas Newman
Edited ByAnne V. Coates
ProductionUniversal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Jersey Films
Distributed ByUniversal Pictures (United States and Canada), Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (International)
Erin Brockovich's Trailer
Official Trailer • Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
How Erin Brockovich Performed
movie guru's TLDR

George deserved better. The biker next door who becomes Erin’s babysitter and boyfriend gets one note, wanting more of her time, and every scene of him sulking slows down one of the best legal dramas of its era. Julia Roberts plays Erin as loud, funny, broke and sharper than every lawyer in the room, and she never begs the audience to like her. Albert Finney is wonderful as Ed Masry, a tired lawyer dragged back into caring. Steven Soderbergh keeps the drama grounded in kitchens and front porches in Hinkley, where families tell Erin about the illnesses that have followed them for years, and the film treats every one of those people with real respect. Marg Helgenberger’s Donna is its quiet heart. At 131 minutes, the middle stretch runs long. It made $257.9 million worldwide on a reported $52M. An 8.3 because Roberts is a force and the movie never forgets who it’s fighting for. $2,273 says you try to memorize the names of everyone on your street this month and get stuck after the third house.

What works: Julia Roberts is fierce and funny in the role of her career, and the film gives the Hinkley families real dignity.

What doesn’t: George’s relationship with Erin is thin and repetitive, and the middle stretch drags under all the paperwork.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves a true underdog story about a regular person who refuses to be brushed off.

Spoilers

The families agree to settle through binding arbitration, and a former PG&E worker hands Erin documents showing the company’s head office knew about the contaminated water. Ed gives Erin a bonus check far bigger than she asked for, and for once she has nothing to say.

Guru’s Take
8.3/10
Great
Erin Brockovich's Blurbs
About me:

Los Angeles, 1993. Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a single mother of three with no job, almost no money and a car crash lawsuit she just lost. She talks her way into work at the small firm of her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), mostly by refusing to leave. Inside a routine real estate file she spots something odd: medical records, tied to the utility giant PG&E buying homes in the desert town of Hinkley. So she starts asking the questions nobody else bothered to ask. Her neighbor George (Aaron Eckhart) helps with the kids. Steven Soderbergh directs this true story. One hundred thirty-one minutes, no backing down.

Who I'd like to meet:

Anyone who reads every file, even the boring ones. Especially the boring ones.

Erin Brockovich's Cast (in credits order)
Julia RobertsErin Pattee/Brockovich
Albert FinneyEdward L. Masry
Aaron EckhartGeorge
Marg HelgenbergerDonna Jensen
Tracey WalterCharles Embry
Peter CoyoteKurt Potter
Cherry JonesPamela Duncan
Conchata FerrellBrenda
Adilah BarnesAnna
Scarlett PomersShanna Jensen
Michael HarneyPete Jensen
Veanne CoxTheresa Dallavale
Scotty LeavenworthMatthew Brown
Gemmenne de la PeñaKatie Brown
Gina GallegoMs. Sanchez
T. J. ThyneDavid Foil
Valente RodriguezDonald
Jamie HarroldScott
Erin BrockovichWaitress Julia
Edward L. MasryDiner Patron
Joe ChrestTom Robinson
Full cast and crew on IMDb.
Erin Brockovich's Edit History
Every change to this page, newest first. Movie data updates are logged like any other edit.
  • (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $257.9M; Domestic box office $125.6M; Opening weekend $28.1M; Profit / loss (est.) +$50.9M; Rotten Tomatoes 87%; CinemaScore A; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 87% (194 reviews); Metacritic 73 / 100; CinemaScore A; IMDb users 7.5 / 10 (250,575 votes); movie.guru score 8.5.
  • (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.