Erin Brockovich

A street-smart woman talks her way into a job at a law office and plays a big part in getting a huge settlement against a power company in the true story of a woman named Erin Brockovich. This was a chance for Julia Roberts to do her very best work in the title role. Director Stephen Soderbergh and Roberts combine for a film that could’ve been routine, but instead brought a fresh and funny style to a story that has been told before. Roberts gets a rare chance to play a character that is separate from her usual on-screen persona, and she is luminous. It’s early, but an Oscar nomination seems automatic.