Erin Brockovich
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Sometimes the task falls to the unlikeliest creature imaginable. The 1993 class action lawsuit, the case that felled the titan with the largest direct action settlement in US history, was uncovered and led by a brassy, untrained, provocative single mother of three with whiplash and a smart mouth.
Erin Brockovich isn’t as hair-raising as some on this list, but the astonishing disparity between this dedicated advocate and her adversary, billion-dollar California company Pacific Gas & Electric, warrants its inclusion. It’s bright, sharp, compassionate, righteously indignant, and hits every emotional hot button of the fray.
The perseverance Brockovich brought to the cause and the constant (if often nonplussed) support of her boss, the beleaguered and outgunned solo practitioner Ed Masry, inspire the best within us never to accept an injustice without a fight, and never, but never to underestimate the little guy (even when it may be us).
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