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The Dominant Ideologies In The Film Erin Brockovich

910 Words4 Pages

The film Erin Brockovich deconstructs many dominant ideologies and traditional assumptions about gender roles found in both our culture today and in mainstream Hollywood filmmaking. This film, which is a narrative based on true events, tells the story of Erin Brockovich. Erin is a twice-divorced, unemployed single mother of three struggling to make a good life for herself and her children.
There are many dominant ideologies and assumptions concerning gender rolls presented in the beginning of the movie, for example it is stressed that Erin is a single mother yet we never once hear about the Fathers of her children. ‘Where are they? Why aren’t they a part of their child’s life? Are they paying child support?’ This reinforces the dominant ideology …show more content…

When asked about the legitimacy of the film she explains, “YES, the movie was true and probably 98% accurate. They took very few creative licenses.”(Brockovich) After reading various comments and posts by Erin herself on her website I am convinced that the director did an amazing and near perfect job portraying Erin Brockovich in the correct light. The voice and opinions of the real Erin Brockovich are almost spot on with Julia Roberts’s character. For example, in the film when her Boss, Ed Masry suggest that she make some changes to her wardrobe she replies, “well it just so happens I think I look nice and as long as I have one ass instead of two I’ll wear what I like if that’s alright with you.”( Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich). The real Erin Brockovich also received a lot of negative feedback concerning her wardrobe, she again explains on her website, “I was actually taken back by the response of many people regarding my wardrobe. I just dressed that way because it was fun and I liked it. I was taught never to judge a book by its cover. My clothing was nothing more than a cover and I have never thought that anyone was smart or stupid or anything else by the way they chose to dress.” (Brockovich) There are obvious similarities between the response of the real Erin Brockovich and the films

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