Johnny Simmons

The biopic is a good way for a woman to get recognised, there are a few on my list. I’d probably single out 2002 and 2000 as the years with the strongest Oscar Best Actress lineup, and incidentally on both turns the winners was the woman in the biopic. Incidentally, both of these performances have suffered backlash like a number of winners but none more than the next performance I will cover. Of course, it doesn’t faze me. I am continually enchanted by this performance.

        

Even if Steven Soderbergh decides to retire he will always have 2000 standing as a testimony of his talents. The one double whammy of Erin Brockovich and Traffic remains as two formidable examples of his talents, and all in one year. I’ve already singled out the former as a favourite film of mine and Julia’s eclectic performance stands as driving force behind that love. Erin Brockovich is an excellent film, whether or not it is admitted and yet of the last decade no Best Actress winner – not even Theron’s Monster or Mirren’s The Queen depends as completely on their leading lady as much as Erin Brockovich depends on Julia.

                      

The opening scenes of Erin Brockovich are a perfect showcase for Julia featuring two great scenes running almost one after the other. The first is the opening interview as Erin interviews for a job. It’s a job that she probably doesn’t want, but for the money, and you can tell that her heart isn’t completely in it, but Julia sells it completely, including that wry sidelong look as she realises there’s no chance of her getting hired. After her car accident we switch to another quasi-monologue as she’s examined at her trial. We watch Erin/Julia as she feigns virtue and we watch as slowly the true Erin – hard as nails and sharp as ever – slowly comes forth. What makes these images of harshness from Erin so much more powerful is the scene immediately after the trial where we switch to her and her sick daughter. Her deception at the store to get that cough medicine is comical and sad all at once, and it’s a testimony to Julia’s talent that not only does she make it work, she makes it resound.

The running loop throughout the narrative is Erin’s devotion to her children and regardless of how far out she goes in her quest we never doubt this unwavering devotion. It’s this devotion to her children that makes George so attractive to her, and it’s a key part of Julia’s brilliance in the role. The film is the David and Goliath story and it’s the rare person that cannot relate to the candour and sheer enthusiasm of Erin. But Erin is not perfection; and Julia is not afraid to show us that. We watch, sometimes cringing, as Erin (sometimes impassively) crushes everyone in her way. It’s not exactly that she has a mean streak, but she’s resolute in her quest and she doesn’t allow for comprises. Julia doesn’t sugar coat this.

From start to finish Julia impresses as Erin. Is the role tailor made for her? Possibly. Could anyone have done it as well? I doubt. Before and since Julia has contributed some great roles to film, but Erin Brockovich is that rare gem of a role that comes along that defines (and redefines) an actors’ career. It’s Kate’s Tracy Lords, it’s Julie’s Maria Von Trapp, it’s Jane’s Bree Daniels. Julia’s Erin is in no way better (or worse) than these. It’s the role I remember her most for, it’s the role I remember most steadfastly from 2000, and without inhibition I regard it as one of the great treasures of the last decade.

        

It’s no surprise that the most distant year of the last decade is also the most distant year in my memory. I probably have to do much catching up on the films released that year, so I’m going back to my original format for reviewing the years instead of drawing it out.

                   

Judi Dench in Chocolat 
...for taking what could be the ultimate sleepwalking performance and turning it into something that’s as funny as it is fulfilling. I know I’m alone on this one, but I find her glorious here.

                      

Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock  
...for taking the passionate artist and turning her into something pretty fantastic. Steals the show from Ed Harris? You bet. And that’s not easy.

                        

Julie Walters in Billy Elliot  
...for making her teacher role into something completely human and enjoyable. And just because she’s Julie Walters.

                

Kate Winslet in Quills 
... for doing more with her eyes than many do with multitudinous lines of dialogue.

                         

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Traffic  
...for standing by her man in true Latina fashion, and for showing the world than she could be more than Zorro’s wife.

Runners Up: Kate Hudson in Almost Famous, Lena Olin in Chocolat

Don Cheadle in Traffic
...for managing to stay in my memory even though the part isn’t that “big”, but mostly for that last scene of his.

Benicio Del Toro in Traffic
...for every scene he’s in. Yeah, he’s that good.

Willem Defoe in Shadow of a Vampire
...for turning in his best work and for being typical Oscar bait at its best while still breaking all the rules.

Albert Finney in Erin Brockovich
...for reacting to Erin just as we would and for making his Ed a true person.

       

Joaquin Phoenix in Quills  
...for doing this the same year as Gladiator and for making this character into something that wasn’t annoying.

Runners Up: Aaron Eckhart in Erin Brockovich Michael Douglas in Traffic, Alfred Molina in Chocolat, Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator

          

Runners Up: Jennifer Lopez in The Cell

          

What can I write about these five, they fight with 2003 for having the most distinguished set of women nominated and they got it right by my judgement.

         

Runners Up: Christian Bale in American Psycho, Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot

         

In such a good year for men it’s a pity that Bale, Bell and Ruffalo saw no love.

          

Daldry for Billy Elliot
...he earns point for this fulfilling debut and the start of an illustrious career.

Scott for Gladiator
...he directs it like the true epic that it is, faults and all

                      

Schanbel for Before Night Falls
...just because this could have been a generic thing...and it isn't...

            

...for making a biopic enjoyable, interesting and even laugh out loud funny. And for directing Julia to greatness.

          

...he manages to make each part interesting and good and the audience never gets bogged down by all the information.

Runners Up: Lasse Hallestrome for Chocolat, Kenneth Longergan for You Can Count On Me,  Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

          

Billy Elliot 
...because it’s pure fun. The end.

      

....because I love it to excess and because it’s a fairy tale that’s still believable even when it shouldn’t be.

             

...for the fact that it’s the kind of biopic I can get behind but mostly because it knows what to do with its cast.

       

Traffic 
...because it used to the ensemble cast to its fullest before it became the “in” thing to do.
           
You Can Count On Me
...because having a sibling can be both wonderful and horrible. 

                      

EVERYTHING I SAW: [Alphabetically]

In my youth when I saw the Steven Soderbergh’s enviable double feature of Traffic and Erin Brockovich I cannot deny that the latter was the one that was more enjoyable. However, I was at that strange time when I believed commonness was equated with enjoyment and thus I heavily believed that Traffic was the superior of the two. Years later, I still cannot be certain if Traffic is not the better of the two – but I realise that the ostensible enjoyment one derives from Erin Brockovich belies a smart and elegant interior.

                

Erin Brockovich is a film that has become equated with Julia Roberts – one of the greatest stars of her time. Of course her Oscar win has become somewhat maligned today but I will not deny that as much as it seems to be a role of pure stardom Julia’s Erin is one of the strongest and most enjoyable female characters of the decade and her line-readings are more than just line readings for the sake of it. Erin is the type of character who we admire all the while noticing her lesser qualities. She’s not perfect, definitely no angel as she prances around in those stiletto heels destroying everything in her path. It’s the sort of rare character that demands a leading lady with an exceptionally strong screen presence and Julia delivers on all counts. But even though the title suggests otherwise, the film is more than just a showcase for Julia and Julia alone. You’d think that the supporting players are relegated to mere caricatures in the presence of such a woman, but you’d be wrong.

Albert Finney’s Oscar nod for his supporting turn is both baffling and satisfying. It’s a performance that is without airs and completely realistic and as Julia’s boss we leave the film with as clear an understanding of Ed as we do of Erin. Aaron Eckhart has the unenviable task of playing “wife” to Julia’s role-reversed heroine. It’s a thankless role, but he holds his own with Julia in that final scene of his reminding us that even though Erin is a hero she is far from a paragon of goodness.

                      

Erin Brockovich is a film that has become exceedingly underrated. The script is witty without being grandiose, casted to perfection with a nice little performance by the wonderful Cherry Jones, and edited fittingly it’s an incredibly enjoyable. It doesn’t fit into our usual thoughts of a biopic, but it’s a credit to its genre. It entertains as much as it edifies and though many look back and criticise its success; it deserved the recognition it attained, including that Best Picture nomination. Here it is at #81 on my list of favourites.              
Starting this week I'll be looking at 2000 in review.