King of Hollywood
Chapter 653 - 61 Similarities

Chapter 653: Chapter 61 Similarities

The beginning of the movie was ordinary, a young woman being rejected in a hospital job application. When the doctor responded noncommittally, the camera captured a close-up of her helpless smile, indicating such rejections were not new to her. Then the scene shifted, the woman standing against the wall in the afternoon sunlight, wearing sunglasses, appearing solitary—a precise use of color by the director made her earlier helplessness even more vivid.

Aside from Adrian’s plan for a romance pentology, Julia had also tried many roles over the years, but this tacky attire was a first for her. However, tacky as it was, it didn’t feel out of place; it rather seemed as though it was just her style, showing Julia’s perfect grasp of her own charm.

What followed were the car accident and court scenes, with Albert Finney making an appearance as a major supporting character. There wasn’t much confrontation in court; the opposing lawyer used a simple trick that infuriated the protagonist, Erin Brockovich, and because of her swearing, she ultimately lost the case. This left Erin, with only a few tens of dollars in her bank, furiously lashing out at her own lawyer.

In just a few scenes lasting about five minutes, the characters of Erin and Ed were preliminarily sketched out—Erin being strong and almost rude, and Ed being overly cautious and somewhat of a pushover. This setup, filled with dramatic contradictions, instantly ignited the audience’s desire to keep watching. Especially when Erin, having no other options and unable to find a job, stormed into Ed’s office demanding he solve her employment issue; Ed, after a few minutes of thought, actually agreed, even consenting to her request for an advance on her salary, which made everyone even more excited for what was to come.

However, the ensuing story wasn’t what they expected. Although Erin, due to her style and attire, wasn’t well received by the office folk, she still worked hard to prove herself. But she never anticipated that, after being personally permitted by Ed to investigate a certain case, she would be fired upon her return!

"I thought you had gone off to have fun," the old man said innocently.

Did you really see me as such an irresponsible woman?! Did my days of running around and investigating, trying my hardest to research, result only in such trivial fruit?! Erin left unequivocally, even rejecting the old man’s offer to make several calls to help her find a new job.

"You’re just trying to alleviate your own guilt! I won’t let you be satisfied!" Erin declared, then marched away, head held high and filled with defiance.

This sequence was not particularly outstanding in editing; it was done in a very ordinary way, but the use of color was excellent throughout, conveying a fervent, unyielding spirit similar to that in "Winter’s Bone." Ordinary editing, but the performances and the showcased cool colors perfectly merged, intensively conveying that solid feeling.

Despite the unexpected setback, everyone knew there would inevitably be a turnaround, and sure enough, the elderly lawyer soon showed up at her door, because a professor from UCLA had called to inform them that the legal maximum for Hexavalent Chromium was .000005%, while the Hexavalent Chromium content in the water Erin had investigated was .000058%. He wanted to know what exactly was going on.

Of course, Erin, ever the kind to push an advantage, stated outright that if they wanted her back to clarify things, they had to rehire her—she had bills to pay, and furthermore—

"I demand a raise, and employee benefits, including dental," she said, holding her child.

Ed thought it was extortion, but after some haggling, reluctantly agreed, "Fine, 10% plus benefits, that’s my final offer!"

From here, it was clear he had begun to recognize Erin’s capabilities, but even how tough she was, under the close-up, the sense of helplessness on his face was still very clear, which triggered quite a bit of laughter. Adrian’s handling of these details earned many viewers’ affection for this old man who frequently ended up on the losing side with Erin.

Next naturally came work. The elderly man was surprised by the sheer amount of data Erin had collected, including quite a bit from the water board, "What gives you the right to march in there and do as you please?"

"Because I have big boobs," Erin replied candidly, once again leaving the elderly man speechless.

This type of dialogue was naturally a favorite among the audience, though they wouldn’t openly show it. Erin’s initially tacky and rude image had slowly transformed into being straightforward and lovable. After more than half an hour of setup and character development, the main confrontation with the Pacific Gas Company finally began.

A series of investigations and confrontations left the elderly lawyer both incensed and exhausted, especially when the opponent threatened that they could freely access 28 billion US Dollars, which finally angered Erin under her dressing-down.

"fuck you!" he yelled at Erin, to which Erin shouted back even louder, "fuck you back!"

The elderly man was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, and the cinema audience laughed along. So direct and feisty—Erin was truly admirable, and it was because of this that she appeared so endearing.

Driven by a strong sense of justice, Erin not only urged Ed to intensify the investigation, but she also did everything possible to push the case forward, even going to the company’s water source to collect samples for testing. Although this achieved significant results, harmonizing the opinions of several hundred households and finally getting the court to accept the case, she began to face many problems herself.

For example, due to her constant traveling, her children were neglected and she even missed her third child’s first words. The power company employed delaying tactics, forcing Ed to collaborate with other, more renowned law firms, whose representatives arrived and began giving orders right away, and they looked down on Erin who didn’t have a formal education in the field. In addition to this, her personal safety was threatened; not only did she receive anonymous threatening calls, but several of her house windows were also broken, frightening her children terribly and even igniting the catalysis for her breakup with her new boyfriend.

Such is the cost of being a hero. The real Erin Brockovich did indeed receive threatening calls and had her windows smashed. Despite the difficulties, at least Ed provided her with a lot of support, and the collaborating law firm did a fairly good job too. But, this is a movie, isn’t it? American hero narratives always involve setbacks and difficulties, and they never lack for supporting characters orbiting the protagonist.

Throughout the whole case, Ed also put in no small effort—at least in the courtroom, it was entirely up to him to fight for the interests of those people. But, this is a film. Drama and conflict are always key elements of good movies, and since Erin is the protagonist of the film, it’s inevitable that the story doesn’t focus too much on the courtroom debates and that everyone else becomes a secondary character. In fact, the same is true for the protagonist of "Winter’s Bone," Ray Dollie, whose portrayal of stark, cold struggle dilutes her heroic color but doesn’t prevent critics from comparing these two films.

Overall, Adrian did quite well with the story. With his past life’s experience, he repaired the flawed parts, perfectly strengthened the details, and carefully controlled the color palette he excelled in. Even if the setup was a bit lengthy and there were no thrilling scenes or visuals, the audience was still firmly captivated.

Erin’s efforts were very fruitful, and Ed further acknowledged her abilities, not only giving her a US$5,000 check to let her rest but also telling her when she was too emotional because she could only request a judicial ruling and not sue outright, "You need to rest, you can’t help me like this, this case can’t proceed without you."

Finally, they persuaded all the residents to agree to let the court decide—although there was no jury and if they lost, they couldn’t appeal, at least they could receive compensation immediately—aside from this, a man from Pacific Gas Company, who had observed Erin for a long time and was responsible for destroying documents, approached Erin.

"Don’t scare him off, you need to keep calm," Ed immediately said upon getting the call, recognizing the great opportunity, "Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for you, I would have gone off to enjoy Palm Springs already. You are very persuasive, don’t ask him too many questions, everyone has a desire to talk, try to let him speak voluntarily..."

At this point, Ed had fully recognized Erin’s capabilities, and so had the audience watching on the screen, especially toward the end.

"How... how did you do it?" the cooperating lawyer stammered after receiving the documents signed by 90% of the residents along with a series of evidence.

"I’m ignorant, never went to law school, and Ed had lost faith in the system, so I had no choice but to sell my body and play the trumpet for 634 people in five days... I was really exhausted," Erin said, always one to hold a grudge.

Under the screen, laughter was mixed with applause.

With such evidence, Pacific Gas Company naturally lost the case and ultimately had to pay compensation of up to 330 million US Dollars. Of course, the courtroom scenes were skipped—those weren’t Erin’s home turf. But as a motivational movie, the hero, naturally, should have a perfect ending, so she ended up visiting those compensated residents with her boyfriend by her side.

"I want you to see firsthand the things you’ve helped me achieve," she said on the way there.

And when the first visiting household received a large compensation and wept uncontrollably, not only was her boyfriend moved, but once again, applause erupted from beneath the screen.

But if you thought it was all over, you’d be hugely mistaken; there was more to come. After receiving the attorney fees, Ed immediately moved his law firm into a bigger office building and Erin got her own office. Then, as Ed handed Erin the dividend check, he purposely hesitated and told her that he thought the amount they initially agreed on was inappropriate, so he made some adjustments.

Sure enough, Erin immediately started to berate him; continuously spewing words which almost didn’t allow Ed to reply, until he had no choice but to leave the check and walk away. Erin wouldn’t stop until she saw the numbers on the check.

"I said just now that the amount you proposed was not appropriate, so... I added a bit," Ed said standing at the door, then chuckled, "Has no one ever taught a beauty queen how to apologize? Your apology is just terribly pathetic!"

With that, the old man hopped away triumphantly, leaving Erin with her mouth open for a long time before she could muster a mosquito-like muttered thanks. Laughter and applause erupted once more under the screen, and then the clapping intensified even more after the movie ended.

"Without a doubt, this is a perfect work, whether it’s Julia and Albert’s acting or Adrian’s directing skills, all are quite remarkable. This movie, based on a true story, portrays Ms. Erin Brockovich who, a few years ago, won the largest civil compensation case in the history of the United States. As a single mother of three who had never attended law school and barely understood law, she gathered crucial evidence with her courage and persistence which made the court award 333 million US Dollars in damages to Pacific Gas Company.

In an era lacking heroes, Erin’s story is incredibly moving and even carries a hint of rebellion. Adrian captured this and brilliantly showcased it in the film. He did not use overly complex editing techniques, and like ’Winter’s Bone,’ the craftsmanship lies in the details and tonality, the way ’Winter’s Bone’ consistently portrayed the harshness of the Missouri Mountains in winter, ’Erin Brockovich’ continually radiated California’s warmth and persistence from start to finish.

It’s undeniable, Julia’s performance was exceptionally outstanding. This could be the best in her acting career so far—Erin’s strength, outspokenness, and sense of justice were captured perfectly, albeit crudely, yet so endearingly crude. Albert’s performance was no less than Julia’s, playing old lawyer Ed perfectly complemented her, and their interactions always the most entertaining part of the movie. In contrast, Aaron Eckhart became an expendable character.

Comparing "Erin Brockovich" with "Winter’s Bone" is pointless, as both films are excellent and have their distinct characteristics. It’s undeniable that Miracle Director’s touch makes them uniquely remarkable. Although "Erin Brockovich" and "Winter’s Bone" centered around the same theme, their styles are diametrically opposed; both describe resilience and tenacity in tough circumstances. The former exudes an easy-going atmosphere of assured success from start to finish, while the latter is deeply rooted in reality, striving to depict the cold harshness of life.

There’s no need to analyze which one is more profound; it’s an unsolvable issue. Similar style-varied films have been directed by Adrian before. It’s no wonder some call him a genius director, as it’s hard to believe these movies are made by the same person, except perhaps for their tonal consistency. Yes, Adrian almost reached mastery in the use of tones, which is evident in every film he has directed; this might be one of the reasons why he took over the direction of "Eyes Wide Shut" from Kubrick.

However, "Erin Brockovich" remains a brilliant and must-watch movie!" — "San Francisco Chronicle," Francis Sein

As the main newspaper under the group closely working with AC Media, the "San Francisco Chronicle" naturally praises Adrian. If they had written such before the movie’s release, many might have laughed, but after its release, praises abound.

"Julia Roberts and Albert Finney’s performances in the movie are extremely wonderful, surely on par with Natalie Portman and John Hawkes." — "Los Angeles Times"

"The equally remarkable ’Erin Brockovich’, also from Adrian’s hand, might not be as heavy as ’Winter’s Bone’, but it’s extraordinarily eye-catching." — "Empire"

"Adrian has once again proved he indeed deserves the title of Miracle Director, with both films being equally remarkable." — "USA Today"

You see, just a few days ago, these media outlets somewhat speculated that, under the same theme, ’Erin Brockovich’ wouldn’t match up to ’Winter’s Bone.’ But they hadn’t anticipated that Adrian would make ’Erin Brockovich’ so... appealing! Right, it’s appealing, which is the initial impression from general audiences, containing no lengthy legal terminology or intense courtroom battles, but featuring the blunt, straightforward, and justice-filled Erin along with her endearingly tolerant old man Ed. The dramatic tension unfolds just right, captivating many viewers.

The weekend box office is the best proof, earning 20 million US Dollars within three days in 1800 North American theaters. Although the proportion may not reach ’Winter’s Bone’, the potential for future gains is significantly higher, especially since this is during the Christmas season.

This is why many critics started to praise ’Erin Brockovich’; as an inspirational film, it strikes the right balance in storytelling, hero-building, and reality depiction. Even if some want to find faults, they might struggle to do so. Perhaps it’s fair to say that in presenting the weight of reality, ’Erin Brockovich’ doesn’t quite match up to ’Winter’s Bone,’ but the similarly themed ’Erin Brockovich’ is more favored by audiences, so...

"If Adrian had used the method he employed in making ’Erin Brockovich’ to create ’Winter’s Bone,’ the latter would definitely have been even better," someone remarked.

Honestly, reading such material is less interesting than watching tabloid reporters covering Adrian with Julia Roberts on his arm at the premiere of ’Erin Brockovich,’ but sometimes, whether praiseworthy or critical, everyone inevitably compares ’Erin Brockovich’ and ’Winter’s Bone,’ even many critics who initially didn’t compare the two films.

"It’s not surprising," Adrian said nonchalantly with a smile, "Both movies are very similar in many aspects, such as themes and filming techniques. It goes without saying, both feature a female protagonist and a male supporting role, both focus on the experiences of the female lead, and both the lead and supporting actors perform so well that it brings the entire movie to life." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to vote and support us, your encouragement is our greatest motivation.)