STEVEN SODERBERGH

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBBB.  

USA, 2000.  Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jersey Films.  Screenplay by Susannah Grant.  Cinematography by Edward Lachman.  Produced by Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher.  Music by Thomas Newman.  Production Design by Philip Messina.  Costume Design by Jeffrey Kurland.  Film Editing by Anne V. Coates.  

Excellent biography of the true-life woman who brought about the biggest personal lawsuit case in American legal history.  Julia Roberts gives the best performance of her career as Brockovich, a single mother who gets a job working for lawyer Albert Finney and stumbles across records of a case pertaining to nearby town residents who might have been poisoned by an oil corporation’s faulty dumping methods. Steven Soderbergh continues his habit of filmmaking excellence, proving that even big-budget crowd-pleasers are not anywhere out of his reach, nor do they have to feel like glossy Hollywood sellouts.

Academy Award:  Best Actress (Julia Roberts)
Nominations: Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Albert Finney); Best Director (Steven Soderbergh); Best Original Screenplay

European Film Award Nomination:  Screen International Award

Golden Globe Award:  Best Actress-Drama (Julia Roberts)
Nominations: Best Picture-Drama; Best Supporting Actor (Albert Finney); Best Director (Steven Soderbergh)

Screen Actors Guild Award:  Best Actress (Julia Roberts)
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Albert Finney)