The film tells the story of a poverty-stricken mother of three who manages to land a job working in a small Southern California law firm. While working on a rather routine pro bono case, Erin discovers that all is not right in a small rural town dominated by a local power plant and tries to investigate the matter and take whatever actions can be taken on the basis of her findings, despite the fact that the cards seem well-stacked against her, all while trying to be a loving mother to her three children.

The performances in the film are actually quite good. Especially good are Albert Finney as Erin's employer, Aaron Eckhart, from Neil LaBute's films In the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors, and surprisingly enough Julia Roberts, who rises far beyond her previous work and really becomes the part that she is playing. The script writing in the film is also well done and tight, aided by the almost 60 minutes of film cut before the film's release (about 30 minutes of this shows up in the bonus materials)and Steven Soderbergh brings a great stylistic touch to directing this film.

The Picture
Erin Brockovich is presented in anamorphic widescreen presentation with an aspect ratio if 1.85:1. There are a couple instances in which there is a momentary freeze or imperfection, but these do not significantly detract from the enjoyment of the film. The colors and skin tones appear rather true throughout the film and the print generally looks good. Also, Soderbergh uses some interesting lighting in a few of the scenes which comes across well on the DVD.

The Sound
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The sound is crisp and clear and need not be adjusted throughout the film. The dialogue sounds good and the surround sound is subtle but well used.

Bonus Materials
Being extremely excited to acquire this movie, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that Soderbergh had not contributed a feature-length commentary track. His earlier commentary on Out of Sight was extremely enjoyable and I found it upsetting that no such track was recorded for such an enjoyable film. After watching all the bonus materials, however, I found many of my questions about the film answered and found the included materials to be extremely enjoyable.

The DVD contains a preview for the Jurassic Park and Lost World DVD's, HBO's "Spotlight on Location" behind the scenes look at the film, 30 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary, A short interview with the real Erin Brockovich, the Trailer, an unusually informative set of production notes, cast and crew bios and DVD-Rom features.

The interview with Brockovich and the behind the scenes short documentary both have a good amount of footage of the real Erin Brockovich. Hearing her story from her is truly an enjoyable experience and will enhance any viewer's appreciation of the film and its accuracy. Also in the documentary is an interview with the real Ed Masry. Watching these features and listening to Soderbergh's commentary on the deleted scenes, it becomes more and more clear that this film closely parallels what actually happened. This film has not been glamorized or given a Hollywood makeover in order to make it a better or more appealing story, and the film comes off better because of it.
The Deleted Scenes- with over 30 minutes of the deleted scenes included on the DVD, the viewer is able to gain a greater appreciation for the efforts of the director and the editor to truly put together a great film. While a few of the scenes which were deleted do add a new or different element to the film and a couple are extremely effective, it is very interesting to watch these scenes and then go back and listen to the commentary to understand why each scene was cut. While some of the scenes were clearly cut for time considerations, it is intriguing to hear all the other reasons which played a role in the edits. Soderbergh's commentary will make the viewer wish that he had recorded a feature length commentary but does answer a number of big questions about the film and is definitely worth listening to. Even if renting the film and it is due back at the video store, a viewer should take the time to watch the scenes with Soderbergh's commentary to truly appreciate the film to its fullest

The Jurassic Park/ Lost World Preview- Unfortunately, the trailer is presented in widescreen and the viewer is not given a good enough peak of the quality that awaits in what will undoubtedly be one of Universal Pictures' biggest DVD releases. The trailer does show the special features which are on the DVDs, including a live weblink to the set of Jurassic Park III! While the quality of the trailer isn't great, the materials discussed are enough to make DVD fans rejoice.

Final Thoughts
While a number of films have come under fire for taking liberties with the facts of the story they tell, this film stays remarkably true to what happened. The end result is a great film with inspired performances that is sure to entertain. I highly recommend this movie!