英语剧本《永不妥协》
时间:2007-10-27 22:00:04来源: 作者:
Erin Brockovich (2000)
by Susannah Grant, revised by Richard LaGravenese.
Inspired by a true story.
Shooting draft, 03/22/99.
by Susannah Grant, revised by Richard LaGravenese.
Inspired by a true story.
Shooting draft, 03/22/99.
INT. DR. JAFFE'S OFFICE - DAY
A successful-looking doctor sits behind a desk in a well-
appointed office. He's looking at someone off-camera.
DR. JAFFE
Uh, but you have no actual medical
training?
ERIN
(off)
No. I have kids. Learned a lot right
there. I've seen nurses give my son a
throat culture. I mean what is it - you
stick a giant Q-tip down their throat and
wait. Or a urine analysis, with that
dipstick that tells you whether or not
the white count is high...
DR. JAFFE
Yes, I understand.
ERIN
(off)
And, I mean, I'm great with people. Of
course, you'd have to observe me to know
for sure, but trust me on that one. I'm
extremely fast learner. I mean, you show
me what to do in a lab once, and I've got
it down.
He nods. Now we see who he is talking to: ERIN BROCKOVICH.
How to describe her? A beauty queen would come to mind -
which, in fact, she was. Tall in a mini skirt, legs crossed,
tight top, beautiful - but clearly from a social class and
geographic orientation whose standards for displaying beauty
are not based on subtlety.
ERIN (CONT'D)
...for instance, at one point I wanted to
be an engineer, so I was working at
Fleuer Engineers and Constructors in
Irvine. I fell madly in love with
geology.
DR. JAFFE
Geology?
ERIN
I learned how to read maps. I love maps.
Did you know our present system for map-
making dates back to the ancient Greeks
in like the third century B.C.?
DR. JAFFE
No.
ERIN
Anyway, I was at the company and - this
is interesting, actually - I helped
Ramish Ginatra design, as an assistant,
part of the Alaskan pipeline...
DR. JAFFE
Uh-huh.
ERIN
..But I lost that job because my son came
down with the Chicken Pox and 104
temperature and my ex-husband was
useless, so..ya know...But what I want to
tell you is I, uh .. I had always wanted
to go to medical school. That was my
first interest really...but then I, you
know, got married..had a kid too young
and..that kind of blew it for me..
Jaffe stares at her.
DR. JAFFE
Uh-huh.
ERIN
(beat, looks
around)
This is a really nice office.
Jaffe looks down at her resume, trying to figure a polite
route.
DR. JAFFE
Thanks.
(looks up at
her)
Look....
Beat. By Erin's expression, she knows what's coming.
EXT. DR. JAFFE'S OFFICE/ SO. CALIFORNIA SUBURB - MAIN DRAG - DAY
A side street. No pedestrians, just parked cars.
Erin is finishing a cigarette. Her face has fallen -- the
enthusiasm and spirit she showed in the interview are now
replaced by a desperate type of concern. She takes a final
puff, puts the cigarette out and walks to her car.
A PARKING TICKET flaps under the wiper of an old Hyundai.
ERIN
Fuck.
Even when she talks dirty, there's a heartland goodness to
her voice. Like Kansas corn fields swaying in the breeze.
As she grabs the ticket from the windshield, her sunglasses
accidentally CLATTER to the ground.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Shit.
When she picks them up, a fingernail snags on the pavement.
ERIN (CONT'D)
God damn it.
She tends to the nail as she opens her car door and gets in.
WIDER ON THE STREET
The Hyundai starts it up, signals. Then, just as it pulls
slowly out into the street, a JAGUAR barrels around the
corner, accelerating out of the turn, and SLAMS into the side
of Erin's car, sending it CAREENING into the median. It
SMASHES into a foot-thick lightpost. And stops.
EXT. MASRY & VITITOE - DAY
A respectable building in the valley.
ROSALIND (O.S.)
Morning, Mr. Masry. How you doing today?
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - RECEPTION - DAY
A sign over the reception desk reads: MASRY & VITITOE,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
ED MASRY, senior partner in the firm, enters the office and
approaches his secretary's desk. His avuncular presence masks
a savvy legal mind, and his somewhat rumpled appearance
indicates a disinterest in pretense.
ED
Fine. You?
ROSALIND
Did you watch it last night?
ED
No, I was out. I taped it. Don't tell me
what happens.
ROSALIND
(overlapping
him, excitedly)
It's sooo great...
(as he walks to
office)
Your nine o'clock's already in there.
Ed peers into his office. It's a mess -- papers everywhere,
unopened mail. Standing in the middle of the room is Erin,
in a teensy, leopard-print mini-dress. As she jiggles a
spike-heeled foot, everything about her shimmies gloriously.
Except her head, which is held in place by a neck brace.
ED
Remind me.
BRENDA
Erin Brockovich. Car accident. Not her
fault, she says.
(beat. they
exchange looks)
She was referred.
He nods.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Not an office that necessarily exudes authority, and ED's
blustery entrance only adds to the sense of chaos.
ED
Erin -- hi. Sorry you had to wait.
Here, sit down, sit down.
He clears a stack of papers off a chair, places down a mug of
coffee.
ERIN
Thanks a lot.
(as she sits)
I tell you, I never thought just standing
would take it out of me, but ever since
that shithead hit me, it feels like my
whole body's put together wrong.
Ed gives her a look of pro-forma sympathy.
ED
(sits)
Jesus, you poor thing. Did anyone ask if
you want some coffee?
ERIN
Yeah. I'm fine.
ED
Great. Well, listen...whoever did this to
you made one hell of a mistake, and you
and me, we're gonna make him pay for it.
He sips coffee like it's a healing potion, takes out a pad
and paper, gets ready to write.
ED (CONT'D)
Why don't you tell me what happened?
CUT TO:
INT. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COURTROOM - DAY
Erin is on the stand, wearing the most conservative thing she
owns: a red, form-fitting mini dress, telling her story to
Ed, who's questioning her.
ERIN
I was pulling out real slow, and out of
nowhere, his Jaguar comes racing around
the corner like a bat outta hell ...
She glances at the defendant's table, where a DOCTOR sits
nobly. His WIFE and two beautiful KIDS are behind him. A
frigging Norman Rockwell painting.
LATER IN HER TESTIMONY
ERIN
They took some bone from my hip and put
it in my neck. I didn't have insurance,
so I'm about seventeen thousand in debt
right now.
STILL LATER
ERIN
...couldn't take painkillers 'cause they
made me too groggy to take care of my
kids.
STILL LATER
ERIN
...Matthew's six, Katie's four, and
Beth's just nine months.
STILL LATER
ERIN
...just wanna be a good mom, a nice
person, a decent citizen. Just wanna
take good care of my kids. You know?
ED
(oh so moved)
Yeah. I know.
INT. COURTROOM - LATER
Erin is still on the stand. But now the doctor's lawyer is
questioning her.
DEFENDING LAWYER
Seventeen thousand in debt. Whew. Is
your ex-husband helping out?
ERIN
Which one?
DEFENDING LAWYER
(feigning shock)
There's more than one?
ERIN
Yeah. There's two. Why?
Erin looks over at the jury. The personification of
conservative family values. Oh, shit.
LATER IN HER TESTIMONY
ERIN
(getting defensive)
...not like a career, 'cause I had my
babies. But I woulda worked, for sure,
if I didn't have this neck thing.
Erin sees a juror staring in judgment at her short hem. Erin
gives it a tug, pulling it down a stitch.
DEFENDING LAWYER
(sarcastic)
Right. No doubt.
Erin sees a few jurors share dubious glances. Great.
STILL LATER
The defendant's lawyer is on the offensive. Erin's starting
to feel the case slipping away.
DEFENDING LAWYER
So. You must've been feeling pretty
desperate that afternoon.
ERIN
(pointed)
What's your point?
Ed shakes his head slightly to her -- don't get mad.
DEFENDING LAWYER
Broke, three kids, no job. A doctor in a
Jaguar must've looked like a pretty good
meal ticket.
Erin sees jurors nodding almost imperceptibly in agreement.
She's on a sinking ship.
ERIN
What? Hey -- he hit me.
DEFENDING LAWYER
So you say.
ERIN
He came tearing around the corner, out of
control --
DEFENDING LAWYER
An ER doctor who spends his days saving
lives was the one out of control --
ERIN
(erupting)
That asshole smashed in my fucking neck!
INT. COURTHOUSE HALLWAY - LATER THAT DAY
Erin barrels toward the elevator. Ed trails.
ERIN
...Open and shut? Open and fucking shut?
ED
Which is exactly the kind of language
that lost the case.
ERIN
Oh, please, it was long over by then.
God damn, he made me look like some
cheap --
ED
I told you the questions might get a
little persona-
ERIN
Bullshit. You told me I'd get half a
million dollars. You told me I'd be set.
ED notices her ranting is starting to draw attention.
ED
Okay -- let's try and settle down here.
You want something to eat?
ERIN
You want to feed my kids too!? Fuck
settle down! I got seventy-four dollars
to my name! I can't afford to settle
down!
Beat.
ED
I'm sorry, Erin.
ERIN
Do they actually teach lawyers how to
apologize - because you all suck at it.
Erin turns away from him and heads for the stairway.
EXT. ERIN'S HOUSE - DAY
A shitty little house in a shitty part of Northbridge. The
Hyundai with a bashed-in side pulls up to the curb.
Erin gets out, takes the mail from her mailbox, then heads
over to the equally grim house next door and rings the bell.
A Hispanic woman in her 60's opens the door, holding a white
baby. This is MRS. MORALES.
MRS. MORALES
Hi, Erin! You're back so soon.
She hands Erin the baby. It's BETH, Erin's 9-month old.
Erin avoids the question by focusing on her baby.
ERIN
Hi, sweetie. Were you a good girl?
Where are Matt and Katie?
MRS. MORALES
Outside with the sprinkler. So it's
good?
The truth is too depressing to share. They walk towards
Erin's house as they talk...
ERIN
It'll be fine, yeah.
(BETH COUGHS in
her arms)
Oh honey..
MRS. MORALES
She's got a little cough. I sat with her
in the steam to loosen it up. But...
ERIN
I've got enough medicine, I think..
MRS. MORALES
Ai, bueno. Listen, I didn't want to tell
you before, with your worries --
ERIN
What?
MRS. MORALES
My daughter, she's bought a big house
with a room for me. I'm going to move in
with her.
ERIN
You're moving away? When?
MRS. MORALES
Next week.
ERIN
(stunned)
Next week?
MRS. MORALES
I know. But it's good for me. Now I can
help my daughter take care of my
grandkids. And it's good for you, too.
Now you have money, you can find a good
baby-sitter, huh? Not the old lady next
door.
Oh, God. Beth COUGHS.
EXT. ERIN'S HOUSE - DAY
Erin carries Beth up to her house. As she nears her door,
she steps on a GIANT WATER BUG. It crunches under her sole.
ERIN
Ugh.
Insult added to injury. She heads up to the house, dragging
her shoe, wiping off the bug guts.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Hand held camera follows Erin as she puts down her bag and
looks through cabinets to see what she can make for dinner,
all the while holding Beth who coughs on and off.
ERIN
Oh sweetie..that doesn't sound so good,
huh?...my baby...let me just start
dinner....
Erin finds nothing but boxes of macaroni and cheese and some
canned peaches and vegetables. She pulls out a box of
macaroni and cheese and a can of peas. She bends down and
grabs a pot, placing it under the faucet. She grabs another
pot and places it on the stove. She searches for a can opener
to open the peas. She moves back to the sink, shuts the
faucet and sees:
Another waterbug crawling up the side of the pot from the
drain.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Ugh! Goddamn it!
She bangs the pot onto the bug spilling the water and
upsetting Beth.
ERIN (CONT'D)
It's all right honey. Mommy's sorry. It's
all right.
As she rocks Beth, who coughs in between tears, Erin looks
around - at her meagre dinner and bug infested kitchen - and
is fed up with the whole day! She dumps her bag out, gets her
wallet, opens it up and sees what little money she has.
Camera follows her out the kitchen, into the main room where
she heads for a window, opens it and shouts to Matthew and
Kate in the yard:
ERIN (CONT'D)
Matthew! Katie! Dry off. Put your shoes
on - we're going out to eat.
They shout their excitement as Erin (and camera) continue
through the house, through the bedroom and into a bathroom.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Don't go getting sick on me, baby. Okay?
But Beth's cough is getting worse. Erin opens the medicine
cabinet but finds nothing appropriate.
EXT. DRUGSTORE - DAY
Matt and Katie are messing around with a gumball machine.
INT. DRUGSTORE - AISLE - DAY
Erin is holding Beth, wandering the aisles. She stops at the
medicines, thinks for a long moment, then, hating herself,
glances to make sure no one's looking, and picks up a bottle.
INT. DRUGSTORE - AT THE REGISTER - DAY
As a CUSTOMER steps away from the register, Erin steps up
with the bottle in her hand and smiles at the CHECK-OUT LADY.
ERIN
Hi, remember me? I was in yesterday.
Bought a whole mess of stuff. Round
about five?
CHECK-OUT LADY
Honey, it's a zoo here at five. I'm
lucky if I even see a face, much less
remember it.
ERIN
Oh, shoot, yeah, I guess that'd be tough.
Well, listen, I meant to buy my baby here
some medicine, and by the time I got
home, I realized I'd bought this adult
stuff by mistake. And now, wouldn't you
know, I can't find the receipt. I was
wondering -- could I maybe exchange it
anyway...
INT. CHEAP DINER - TWILIGHT
Beth is feeling better on Erin's lap. A drugstore bag sits on
the table with the cough medicine. The two other kids sit
opposite in the booth. Erin is helping the kids read the menu
as the Waitress arrives.
WAITRESS
Everybody ready?
KATIE
(proudly)
My mommy reads backwards.
ERIN
One of my many talents. Go ahead kids.
MATTHEW
Cheeseburger deluxe and a coke.
KATIE
(whispers across
table)
Mommy can I get the cheeseburger deluxe
with no cheese and no bread.
ERIN
(to Waitress)
You get that?
(Waitress nods
and smiles)
This one here'll have just a cup of that
chicken broth and some crackers.
WAITRESS
And for you?
ERIN
Cup of coffee.
Waitress takes away menus and exits as Matthew asks:
MATTHEW
You're not eating mom?
ERIN
No, honey - my lawyer took me out to a
big fancy lunch to celebrate and I'm
stuffed!
(to Beth)
You feeling better baby.
(feels her head
with her cheek)
Cool as a cucumber.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The kids are asleep. A starved Erin is sitting at the kitchen
table, eating canned fruit cocktail.
O.C. Beth coughs. Coughs again. Erin looks up. Hopes it
doesn't turn into a coughing fit...
Beat.
A waterbug crawls across the table. Erin stares at it.
Calmly, comically, she reaches off camera and grabs a can of
bug spray. She aims and sprays the bug with a consistent,
focused force until the damn thing slides off the table in a
river of bug repellent.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Midday. Ed enters with a cup of coffee in his hand. As he
heads to his desk, he trips on a box of files. Coffee sloshes
up out of his cup and on to his shirt.
ED
Damn it!
(calling out)
Brenda!
She pops her head in.
BRENDA
Yeah?
He grabs a tissue, swabs his shirt, then kicks at the box.
ED
What the hell is this doing here?
BRENDA
It's those files you asked for.
ED
I didn't mean for you to leave them in
the middle of the floor. Jesus. Look at
me.
As Ed checks his reflection in the glass wall of his office,
he notices, on the other side:
ERIN, standing in the middle of the secretaries' area,
talking to DONALD, the office boy. Donald heads away from
her.
ED (CONT'D)
What's she doing here?
BRENDA
Who?
Ed goes to his office door and waves Donald over.
ED
Hey, Donald, what's she doing here?
DONALD
She works here.
Ed looks back out at her -- what the hell?
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - MAIN ROOM - DAY
The support staff -- mostly middle-aged women -- are all
stealing glances at Erin. Ed approaches her, friendly.
ED
Erin! How's it going?
Up close, the wear and tear of worry show on her face.
ERIN
You never called me back. I left
messages.
ED
You did? Wow, sorry about that.
(beat)
Listen, Donald seems to think that you
said --
ERIN
There's two things that aggravate me, Mr.
Masry. Being ignored, and being lied to.
You did both.
Glances skitter between the secretaries -- get a load of
this. Ed lowers his voice.
ED
I never lied, Erin.
ERIN
You said things would be fine, and
they're not. I trusted you.
ED
I'm sorry about that. Really. But --
ERIN
I don't need pity. I need a paycheck. And
I've looked, but when you've spent
the last six years raising babies, it's
real hard to convince someone to give you
a job that pays worth a damn.
(referring to
Brenda's
staring)
You getting every word of this down,
honey, or am I talking too fast for you!?
Brenda jumps. Ed sees everyone watching him, listening.
ED
I'd love to help, Erin, but I'm sorry, I
have a full staff right now, so --
He starts to escort her out, but she stays put.
ERIN
Bullshit. If you had a full staff, this
office would return a client's damn phone
calls.
She's backing him into a corner here. The secretaries
exchange knowing glances.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Now, I'm smart, I'm hard-working, and
I'll do anything, and I'm not leaving
here without a job.
C.U. on Erin as she steps in close to Ed and speaks in a low
voice that combines fierceness with desperation:
ERIN (CONT'D)
Don't make me beg. If it doesn't work
out, fire me... But don't make me beg.
Ed looks at her for a long moment. Then:
ED
No benefits.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - FILE ROOM - DAY
A tight office lined with file cabinets and shelves. ANNA,
the humorless file clerk, is showing Erin around.
ANNA
...what we do in here is keep track of
all the case files. That way, at any
time, we can find out a case's status --
where it is in the office, stuff like
that. We file 'em all here,
alphabetically --
ERIN
Simple enough.
As Anna continues to show Erin around the office, they pass
JANE, the bitter office manager, and Brenda, at the coffee
area.
JANE
Just last week, he told my sister we
weren't hiring.
BRENDA
What's your sister look like?
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Ed is packing up his office. Erin sticks her head in.
ERIN
Mr. Masry?
He turns, sees her.
ED
Yeah?
ERIN
I was wondering -- could you tell me who
I'd talk to about maybe getting an
advance on my paycheck? Just -- for the
weekend.
ED
Jane's the office manager. She handles
payroll and petty cash. But she leaves
early on Fridays.
ERIN
Oh. Okay. That's okay.
Ed looks at her a moment, sees that it's far from okay.
ED
Oh, for Christ's sake...
He takes out his wallet, looks in.
ED (CONT'D)
All I have is hundreds.
ERIN
I don't wanna take your money, Mr. Masry.
ED
Where do think your paycheck comes from?
He slaps a hundred in her hand and leaves. When he's gone,
she looks at the bill -- her life raft.
EXT. BABY-SITTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Erin is at the door, taking Beth from the BABY-SITTER, a
shabby, unkempt-looking woman in her 40's. Katie and Matt
pull on their backpacks and troop out of the sitter's house.
EXT. ERIN'S KITCHEN - NIGHT
Erin and her kids are putting away bags of groceries. Beth
watches from a baby seat. The kids are trying to tell her a
story. They fight over details. Erin loves listening.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - MATT AND KATIE'S ROOM - NIGHT
A small room with Salvation Army furniture. A BUNCH OF
DAISIES is propped in a Ragu jar on Katie's bedside table.
Matt and Katie are asleep in bed. Erin looks down at them,
smiles, then kisses them good night.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Erin comes out of the bedroom and softly closes the door.
But just as the handle clicks into place, the house is filled
with the DEAFENING ROAR of a MOTORCYCLE, REVVING and REVVING.
It sounds as if it's gonna drive through the wall.
EXT. ERIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Erin steps out onto her front stoop and looks over at what
used to be Mrs. Morales's house. A few MOTORCYCLES are
parked on the lawn; A FEW BIKERS are drinking beer on the
stoop; and one asshole is on his bike, REVVING HIS ENGINE.
ERIN
Hey!
But of course he can't hear her. She walks over to him,
stands right in his line of vision.
ERIN
HEY!
He sees her and kills the engine. Everything about GEORGE
HALABY is tough -- his denim, his leather, his bike, his long
hair. Everything but his eyes, which twinkle like Santa's.
GEORGE
Well, hello to you, darlin'.
ERIN
What the hell do you think you're doing,
making all that goddamn noise?
GEORGE
Just introducing myself to the neighbors.
ERIN
Well, I'm the neighbors. There, now
we're introduced, so you can shut the
fuck up.
The guys on the porch chuckle. Erin turns and starts back to
her house. George hops off his bike and follows her.
GEORGE
Ooh, now, see, if I'da known there was a
beautiful woman next door, I'da done this
different. Let's start over. My name's
George. What's yours?
ERIN
Just think of me as the person next door
who likes it quiet.
GEORGE
Now, don't be like that. Tell you what.
How about if I take you out on a date to
apologize for my rudeness?
Erin shakes her head in disbelief and keeps walking.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
Come on. Gimme your number, I'll call
you up proper and ask you out and
everything.
She stops at her porch, turns to him.
ERIN
You want my number?
GEORGE
I do.
ERIN
Which number do you want, George?
GEORGE
You got more than one?
ERIN
Shit, yeah. I got numbers coming out of
my ears. Like, for instance, ten.
GEORGE
Ten?
ERIN
Sure. That's one of my numbers. It's
how many months old my little girl is.
GEORGE
You got a little girl?
ERIN
Yeah. Sexy, huh? And here's another:
five. That's how old my other daughter
is. Seven is my son's age. Two is how
many times I been married and divorced.
You getting all this? 16 is the
number of dollars in my bank account.
454-3943 is my phone number. And with
all the numbers I gave you, I'm guessing
zero is the number of times you're gonna
call it.
She turns and heads inside. He calls out after her:
GEORGE
How the hell do you know your bank
balance right off the top of your head
like that? See, that impresses me.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - RECEPTION AREA - DAY
Morning. Erin walks in, wearing her usual garb. She passes
the coffee area, where Jane, Brenda, and Anna are milling.
Brenda sees her, gives Anna a nudge. They both check out her
short hem. Anna nudges Jane, who looks as well. Erin
glances over just in time to see all three of them staring at
her judgementally. She stops in her tracks and stares back.
ERIN
Y'all got something you wanna discuss?
The women go back to stirring their coffees. Erin walks on.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed is walking into his office with a coffee cup in his hand
when he trips over the same box of files again.
ED
Damn it!
(calling out)
Brenda!
(no answer)
BRENDA!
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - FILE ROOM - DAY
Erin is alone, filing as she talks on the phone.
ERIN
How long's she been crying like
that?...Well, she's got that tooth coming
in --
Ed appears in the door, carrying the box of files.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Give her a cold washcloth to suck on --
(sees Ed)
I gotta go -- there's a clean one in that
bag -- I'll check back in a bit.
(hangs up)
Sorry. My kid --
ED
Where's Anna?
ERIN
Out to lunch with the girls.
ED
Oh. Huh.
(beat)
Well, look, I have to open a file. Real
estate thing. Pro-bono.
He plunks the box of papers & files on her desk. She stares
at it, with no idea of how to go about that.
ERIN
Oh. Okay.
He sees her staring at the box.
ED
You do know how to do that, don't you?
ERIN
Yeah. I got it. No problem.
ED
Good.
Ed heads out, but pauses before leaving.
ED
You're a girl.
ERIN
Excuse me?
ED
How come you're not at lunch with the
girls? You're a girl.
ERIN
I guess I'm not the right kind.
Erin goes back to work. Ed starts out then stops.
ED
Look, you may want to - I mean, now that
you're working here - you may want to
rethink your..wardrobe a little.
ERIN
Why is that?
ED
Well...I think maybe..some of the girls
are a little uncomfortable because of
what you wear.
ERIN
Is that so? Well, it just so happens, I
think I look nice. And as long as I have
one ass instead of two, like most of the
"girls" you have working here, I'm gonna
wear what I like if that's alright with
you?
Ed hides a smile. He nods. As he exits, Erin returns to work
and remarks, without looking up....
ERIN (CONT'D)
You may want to re-think those ties you
wear..
Suddenly self-conscious, Ed looks down to his chest...
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - FILE ROOM - NIGHT
Erin is at her desk, staring bewildered at the files from the
box Ed gave her, which are now spread across her desktop.
She sees Anna packing up her things to leave.
ERIN
Anna? With this real-estate stuff --
could you remind me, cause I'm a little
confused about how exactly we do that.
Why are there medical records and blood
samples in real estate files?
ANNA
(exasperated)
Erin, you've been here long enough. If
you don't know how to do your job by now,
I am not about to do it for you.
EXT. BABY-SITTER'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
Erin arrives to pick up her children from the unkempt baby-
sitter. She knocks. No answer. She knocks and calls out. No
answer. She looks through window. It appears no one is there.
She panics.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
Erin runs into her house calling her children's names. No
answer. She is almost near tears with panic, rushing through
each room. She grabs the phone to call the police when she
hears-
The sound of her children laughing, outside.
ERIN
Matthew! Katie!
EXT. ERIN'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
She runs outside, trying to locate the voices. She follows
the sounds of her children laughing and talking, towards the
back of her yard, which sits across from:
EXT. GEORGE'S BACKYARD - EARLY EVENING
Katie and Matthew are sitting at a picnic table, eating
hamburgers and hot dogs, barbecued by George, who sits
opposite them with little Beth on his lap. They all seem
right at home. Erin is confused.
ERIN
What the hell happened?
MATTHEW/KATIE
Hi mom..
GEORGE
Hey. You hungry?
ERIN
What are they doing here? I went to pick
them up-
GEORGE
She came by about an hour ago. Said
something came up and she had to drop the
kids off.
ERIN
Something came up! Why didn't she call me
at work?
GEORGE
(Erin is
fearsome)
I don't know. She..I..she..I don't know.
ERIN
THAT FUCKING BITCH!
MATTHEW
MOM!
ERIN
Sorry!! I can't believe she just dumps my
kids off when nobody's home!!
GEORGE
I was home.
(Erin realizes
this)
They're fine.
The kids are being fed a full meal with clean plates and
napkins and glasses of milk. Beth acts like she's known
George all her life.
Erin doesn't know what to say. George just smiles.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
George is on the floor with Matt and Katie, playing war.
Katie points to the Harley emblem on his leather jacket. Both
kids are dressed for bed. Erin watches them interact with
George. She notices how good he is with them. How comfortable
they are with him.
KATIE
What's that stand for?
GEORGE
That's for Harley Davidson. The best
damn motorcycle ever made.
ERIN
And if I catch either of you anywhere
near one, I'll knock you silly. Go on to
bed, now -- I'll come tuck you in, in a
minute.
They get up...
GEORGE
'Night.
KATIE AND MATT
'Night.
...and head into bed. George starts cleaning up the cards.
GEORGE
Great kids.
Erin bends down to help him.
ERIN
Yeah, well..I'm sure I'll fuck them up
eventually.
GEORGE
Why?
ERIN
I'm never here. I'm obviously not a good
judge of character or I would have never
left them with that idiot who cost a
fortune and smelled like chicken fat.
After I find her and kill her, I don't
know what I'm going to do.
GEORGE
If you need help with them, I could do
that.
ERIN
I'm not gonna leave my kids with you.
GEORGE
Why not?
ERIN
'Cause I don't even know you.
GEORGE
What do you want to know? Ask me.
ERIN
Look, thanks for today but-
GEORGE
You're welcome.
Erin doesn't know what to say.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
What's the matter, you got so many
friends in this world, you can't use one
more? I'm serious. If you need someone to
keep an eye on them -- after school or
something -- I don't have a job now, so
I'm around in the afternoons.
ERIN
Oh, that's a great recommendation. You're
unemployed?
GEORGE
By choice. I work when I need to.
ERIN
Yeah? And what do you do the rest of the
time, live off your trust fund?
GEORGE
I do construction, which pays real good.
And I make it last by living cheap.
ERIN
(with a little
laugh)
I hope that's not supposed to impress me.
GEORGE
Are you this hard on everyone who tries
to help you?
ERIN
It's been a while. I'm out of practice.
GEORGE
Then lemme remind you, the polite thing
is to say, thank you, it's a real nice
offer, I don't mind taking you up on it.
ERIN
Why in the hell would you want to watch
my kids?
GEORGE
Cause I like kids. I like hanging out
with them.
ERIN
Right.
She starts cleaning up the cards.
GEORGE
I do. I like how they keep it all
simple, you know? They don't get all
complicated, like grown-ups do. A
bicycle and an ice cream cone -- boom,
done, they're happy.
Erin thinks about the offer.
ERIN
You're around every afternoon?
GEORGE
Yup. Usually working on my bike.
She's tempted.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
No big deal. If it doesn't work out, you
can send 'em back to the chicken lady.
Tempting. Erin looks him over, then, as she exits:
ERIN
This isn't gonna get you laid, you know.
George laughs.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - ERIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The wee hours. Erin's in a T-shirt, sitting on her mattress
on the floor. The paperwork from the box is now spread all
over the floor around her. She's reading a letter.
CLOSE ON THE LETTER
It's from PG&E, to Donna Peter Irving. We see the phrases,
"purchase your house...," "fair market value..."
CLOSE ON ANOTHER DOCUMENT
It's a list of comparable house sales in the area. Owner,
cost; owner, cost. Every house is in the $65,000 range.
From another room, she hears the sound of BETH CRYING. Still
reading the file, Erin gets up and goes into:
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - BETH'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Still reading, Erin gets Beth out of her crib. Beth quiets.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - ERIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Erin lies down on the mattress and rests Beth on her chest.
She sets down the file she was reading and picks up another.
CLOSE ON THE FILE
It contains a letter from a Dr. Howard Reeves. The first
paragraph contains the phrase "...medical examination of
Donna and Peter Irving..."
Toward the end of the letter there are two columns. One is
headed: "IN RANGE". The other: "OUT OF RANGE". Under that
head appear the following: "lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes,
natural killer cells, T Helpers, T8 suppressor cells"...
Erin stares at it, confused.
INT. ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed sits at his desk, working. There's a knock.
ED
Yeah.
Erin enters, holding a file;
ERIN
Hi. Sorry. Would you mind if I
investigated this a little further?
ED
Investigated what?
ERIN
This real estate thing with the Irvings.
The pro bono case...
ED
(overlap)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah..
ERIN
(overlap)
See, yeah..I just want to make sure I'm
understanding what I'm reading. So you do
mind?
ED
No, go ahead.
ERIN
Great. Thanks.
Erin exits. Ed returns to his work.
EXT. L.A. FREEWAY - DAY
The beat-up old Hyundai heads east out of L.A.
EXT. HINKLEY, CA - DAY
This is a dry, desolate part of California. No downtown, no
community. Just tract after tract of arid farmland, with
small, bland, unprotected ranch home cropping up out of
landscape like occasional tombstones.
A beat-up old sign on the road reads: "HINKLEY, CA. POP:"
but the corner where the number would be has broken off.
As a gust of wind lifts dust from the fields, Erin turns onto
Community Boulevard, the main road that cuts through Hinkley.
In doing so, she passes a nearby UTILITY PLANT. Its criss-
crossing PIPES and large COOLING TOWERS stand out clearly
against the flat, dry fields. Erin doesn't notice.
INT. ERIN'S HYUNDAI - DAY
Erin cruises through the neighborhood, looking at a piece of
paper with the Irvings' address on it. This area has seen
better days -- many of the houses have been razed, leaving
heaps of lumber and wire behind.
EXT. DONNA IRVING'S HOUSE - DAY
A generic ranch home standing all alone in the middle of
nothing. There's a pool out back and a chain link fence
hugging the property. No landscaping. Dull, but clean. A
few BOTTLES OF SPRING WATER wait by the door.
The Hyundai pulls into the driveway and stops. Erin gets
out. As she heads up to the door, her spike heels sink into
the dirt. She rings the bell. It has a melody chime.
DONNA IRVING opens the door. She's 35, petite, with a
scrappy, high-strung manner. She's wearing tight jeans, and
her dark curls are piled on top of her head.
ERIN
Hi. Donna Irving?
DONNA
Yes?
ERIN
I'm Erin Brockovich, from Masry &
Vititoe?
DONNA
(a little
surprised)
You're a lawyer?
ERIN
Hell, no. I hate lawyers. I just work
for them. You got a minute?
INT. THE IRVINGS' HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
The house is furnished with little money, but lots of care.
Erin's on a plaid couch, in a sea of needle point pillows.
Out back, two GIRLS, ages 9 and 11, are playing in a pool.
ERIN
This is a real nice place you got here.
DONNA (O.S.)
Well it oughta be, with all the work I
put into it.
She comes out from the kitchen with a tray of iced tea.
DONNA (CONT'D)
I added air conditioning, put in the
pool, made all those pillows by hand...
ERIN
Yeah? I should learn to do stuff like
that. They make the place feel real
homey.
Donna corrects the positioning on a couple of pillows.
DONNA
Thank you. I think so too. That's why
I'm being such a stickler on this house
price thing. I don't mean to be a pain
in PG&E's backside, especially after all
they've done for Hinkley, but I look
around here and I think, if they want
this place, they're gonna have to pay for
it. And I don't just mean pay for the
house; I'd like them to pay me for the
trouble of starting over.
ERIN
So you didn't have the house up for sale -
they just came to you and wanted buy it?
DONNA
Yeah. I don't want move. Uproot the kids.
And besides the moving, there's
decorating a new place, and if the
windows aren't the same size, you know --
you're making all new curtains. Honest
to God, I don't know if I have the
energy. You know, I've been sick. Me
and Pete both have.
ERIN
Yeah, I'm real glad you brought that up.
I was going through your file here, and I
ran into these medical records. They
kinda surprised me --
This would be the perfect opportunity for many to get self-
pitying. But not Donna. Life's handed her a shitload of
lemons, and darned if she hasn't made a shitload of lemonade.
DONNA
I know. They're more than a bit unusual.
See, two years ago, Pete got Hodgkin's
disease. That's a kind of cancer --
ERIN
Yeah, I'm real sorry to hear that.
DONNA
Thank you. It's in remission now, thank
the Lord, but you never know. And then
while that's going on, I end up having to
have a hysterectomy. Plus a whole mess
of lumps removed from my breasts. All
benign so far, but still, no matter how
positive you stay, an operation can still
take it out of you.
(Erin nods)
So the whole idea of selling the house --
if they aren't gonna pay us properly, I
just don't see the point.
ERIN
Yeah, I can see that.
(beat)
I guess the only thing that confused me
is -- not that your medical problems
aren't important, but -- how come the
files about them are in with all the real
estate stuff?
Donna tops off their iced teas.
DONNA
There's so much correspondence, I just
keep it all in one place.
ERIN
Right, but -- I'm sorry, I don't see why
you were corresponding with PG&E about it
in the first place.
DONNA
Well, they paid for the doctor's visit.
ERIN
They did?
DONNA
You bet. Paid for a check-up for the
whole family. And not like with
insurance where you pay, then wait a year
to be reimbursed, either. They just took
care of it. Just like that. We never
even saw a bill.
ERIN
Wow. Why would they do that?
DONNA
'Cause of the chromium.
ERIN
The what?
DONNA
The chromium. Well, that's what kicked
this whole thing off.
INT. ERIN'S HYUNDAI - DAY
As Erin leaves Hinkley, she stops the car and takes a look at
the power plant she passed so obliviously on her way into
town.
Maybe it's the angle, or maybe it's what Donna's been telling
her, but somehow the plant seems more threatening now. Like
it's bearing down on the town.
EXT. UCLA MAIN LIBRARY - DAY
Large. Looming. Very establishment. Through the windows,
we see Erin at the desk, talking to a LIBRARIAN. She has the
file in her hands.
The librarian gives her directions to somewhere else.
INT. UCLA SCIENCE BUILDING - HALLWAY - DAY
A long, academic hallway lit by fluorescents. Erin gets off
an elevator and heads down the hall. She finds a door with a
nameplate that reads "Brian Frankel, Toxicology" and KNOCKS.
The door opens and DR. FRANKEL appears, looking as though
he's getting ready to leave. Nothing like Erin has ever
shown up at his door. He reels at the sight of her.
ERIN
Doctor Frankel?
FRANKEL
Yes?
ERIN
Hi, I'm Erin Brockovich. I was just over
in the library there, asking a mess of
questions about -- I guess they call it
toxicology? -- and the fella there told
me to find you, 'cause you know all about
it.
FRANKEL
(suspicious)
Is this a joke? Did Baxter put you up to
this?
ERIN
Who's Baxter?
FRANKEL
He did, didn't he? Baxter!
BAXTER, another scientist, leans out of a door down the hall.
BAXTER
Yeah?
Baxter and Erin look at each other. No recognition, of
course. Frankel is immediately embarrassed.
FRANKEL
Oh. Oh.
ERIN
No one put me up to anything. I was just
hoping I could ask you a couple
questions.
FRANKEL
(mortified)
Of course! Oh, Gosh, of course --
INT. BUILDING CORRIDOR - DAY
Erin follows Frankel down the hall.
FRANKEL
What kind of chromium is it?
ERIN
There's more than one kind?
FRANKEL
Yes. There's straight-up chromium --
does all kinds of good things for the
body. There's chrom 3, which is fairly
benign, and then there's chrom 6,
hexavalent chromium, which, depending on
the amounts, can be very harmful.
EXT. UCLA CAMPUS - DAY
Erin and Dr. Frankel continue walking.
ERIN
Harmful, like -- how? What would you
get?
FRANKEL
With repeated exposure to toxic levels --
God, anything, really -- from chronic
headaches and nosebleeds to respiratory
disease, liver failure, heart failure,
reproductive failure, bone or organ
deterioration -- plus, of course, any type
of cancer.
He rattles it off coolly. Just facts. Erin's stunned.
ERIN
So that stuff -- it kills people.
FRANKEL
Oh, yeah. Definitely. Highly toxic,
highly carcinogenic. Bad, bad stuff.
ERIN
What's it used for?
FRANKEL
A rust inhibitor. See, the utility plants
run these piston engines to compress the
gas, the engines get hot, you gotta run
water through them - chromium's in the
water to prevent corrosion...
ERIN
Well, how do I find out what kind of
chromium they use in Hinkley?
FRANKEL
Have you been to their water board?
ERIN
Hunh-uh. What's that?
FRANKEL
Every county has one. They keep records
of anything water-related within their
jurisdiction. You should be able to find
something there.
ERIN
County water board. All righty, thanks.
FRANKEL
Good luck.
(beat)
Oh -- I wouldn't advertise what you're
looking for if I were you...incriminating
records have a way of disappearing when
people smell trouble.
EXT. LAHOTAN REGIONAL WATER BOARD - DAY
A small building on a small street baking under the desert
sun. Anybody with any sense is inside, out of the heat.
Erin's Hyundai pulls up and stops in a cloud of dust. Erin
hops out, checks her reflection in the side-view mirror, then
heads into the building.
INT. LAHOTAN REGIONAL WATER BOARD - DAY
Drab, government-issue. ROSS, the bored desk clerk is
thumbing his way through ROAD & TRACK. Just as he stops to
stare at a motor oil ad in which a buxom blonde is straddling
the hood of a car, the huge door opens and Erin enters.
ERIN
Whew! Goddamn, that's a heavy door.
Ross looks up. It's like the girl from the ad walked right
off the page. He jumps up, to help her with the door.
ROSS
Oh, hey -- lemme give you a hand there.
ERIN
Thank you very much. Aren't you a
gentleman? Mr....
ROSS
Ross.
ERIN
Ross. Real pleased to meet you. I'm
Erin.
She smiles. He can't believe his luck.
ROSS
Erin. Cool. What can I do for you,
Erin?
ERIN
Well, believe it or not, I am on the
prowl for some water records.
ROSS
(with a laugh)
You come to the right place.
ERIN
(laughing along)
I guess I did.
ROSS
You just tell me what you want to look at
and I'll be glad to dig 'em out for you.
ERIN
I wish I knew. It's for my boss. He's
fighting his water bill, and he wants me
to find all manner of bills from all
kinds of places. The easiest thing would
probably be if I just squeezed back there
with you and poked around myself. Would
that be okay?
ROSS
Heck, yeah. Come on back. Just gonna
need you to sign in here --
He hands her a pen. He reads over her shoulder as she signs
her name -- Erin Pattee Brockovich.
ROSS (CONT'D)
Pattee? That your middle name?
ERIN
Nope. Maiden.
ROSS
(disappointed)
You're married.
ERIN
Not anymore.
She smiles and winks at him, then goes around the counter
with him and looks at the stacks and stacks of files.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Well. Here goes nothing.
She heads down an aisle, reading the spines of the files.
They're all town names -- Barstow, Victorville, Oro Grande,
Helendale -- in no particular order. Finally, Erin spots one
that says Hinkley. She pulls it down.
IN THE FILE
are pages and pages of Xeroxed memoranda, letters, charts,
graphs, handwritten notes. All shoved in willy-nilly.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - MAIN ROOM - DAY
George is watching a football game on TV. He's just put TV
dinners on the floor in front of the Matt and Katie.
MATT
Our mom gives us sandwiches on Fridays.
GEORGE
That's a sandwich.
KATIE
No, it's not!
GEORGE
Sure it is. Here, I'll show you.
He picks up Matt's chicken, tears it in two...
GEORGE (CONT'D)
Most people think a sandwich's gotta have
bread on the outside. Not true. Chicken
is a perfectly good outside for a
sandwich.
...then places the broccoli neatly between the halves.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
See?
Katie and Matthew look at it, then up at George, and smile.
They eat quietly - not watching the TV. George gets the
feeling they're not into the game. He grabs the remote and
turns on a Nickelodeon-type show. They perk up, recognizing
it. He likes pleasing them. He looks over to Beth -
George likes how this feels.
EXT. WATER BOARD - NIGHT
It's gotten dark. Erin's Hyundai's still there.
INT. WATER BOARD - NIGHT
Erin is on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her.
She has a bunch of files open and spread across the floor.
The one in her hand has caught her attention.
INSERT ON THE PAPER
It's a memo titled: "CLEAN-UP AND ABATEMENT ORDER" from the
water board to PG&E. Erin is concentrating hard on it,
reading laboriously to herself.
ERIN (O.S.)
"...On December 7, 1987, the discharger
notified the regional board and the San
Bernardino County Environmental Health
Services of the discovery of 0.58 ppm of
hex-a-....hex-a-valent chromium in an on-
site ground water monitoring well..."
(beat)
...hexavalent...
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - RECEPTION - DAY
CLOSE ON A XEROX OF THE ABATEMENT ORDER. WIDEN to see it is
on top of a stack of papers that Erin is carrying as she
enters the office. She has an efficient air about her -- a
sense of purpose.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - FILE ROOM - DAY
Erin swoops in, ready to work, only to find her desk cleared
off. She turns to Anna, who's already hard at work.
ERIN
Where's my stuff?
Anna looks up.
ANNA
Where've you been?
ERIN
What the fuck did you do with my stuff?
ANNA
Don't use language with me --
But Erin's out the door before Anna can finish her sentence.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - JANE'S OFFICE - DAY
JANE is at her desk. Erin barrels in.
ERIN
Someone stole my stuff.
JANE
Nice to see you, Erin. We've missed you.
ERIN
I had photos of my kids, plus a mug --
Jane reaches under her desk for a box, looks through it.
JANE
-- toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pair of
hose. Here.
ERIN
What's going on?
JANE
There may be jobs where you can disappear
for days at a time, but this isn't one of
them. Here, if you don't do the work,
you don't get to stay.
She hands her the box. Erin doesn't take it.
ERIN
I've been working. Shit, that's all I've
been doing. Ask Mr. Masry. He knows.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed's at his desk, dialing the phone when Erin barrels in.
ERIN
You said to fire me?
He sets down the receiver.
ED
Erin, you've been gone for a week.
ERIN
I left a message. I've been dealing with
that real estate thing. I was gonna
write up a whole damn report and --
ED
That's not how we work here. You don't
just leave a message and take off.
Jane follows her in, still carrying the box of stuff.
ERIN
What am I supposed to do, check in every
two seconds?
JANE
Yes. It's called accountability.
ERIN
I am not talking to you, bitch.
JANE
Excuse me?
ED
Okay, enough --
(beat)
Now, look Erin -- this incident aside, I
don't think this is the right place for
you. So what I'm gonna do is make a few
calls on your behalf. Find you something
else, okay?
ERIN
Don't bother.
She turns to Jane, takes her box, and heads out.
ED
Come on, I'm trying to help here.
ERIN
Bullshit. You're trying to feel less
guilty about firing someone with three
kids to feed. Fuck if I'll help you do
that.
And she leaves.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - OUTSIDE ED'S OFFICE - DAY
As Erin heads for the door, pleased glances fly from
secretary to secretary. Erin reaches the door, but can't
open it with the box in her arms. She turns to the room.
ERIN
I don't suppose any one of you cunts
could open the door for me.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - MAIN ROOM- DAY
Erin enters, puts down the box and stares at the mail.
Bills, bills, and more bills. As she throws them on the
table, she sees George coming out of the kitchen.
ERIN
What are you doing here?
GEORGE
Fixing a leak under your sink.
She heads into the kitchen, weary and irritated.
ERIN
I didn't ask you to do that. Damn it,
George, I don't ask you to do things like
that.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Erin enters, sees all the cleaning stuff from under the sink
is spread around the kitchen floor. A tool box lies open.
ERIN
Great.
GEORGE
I'm gonna clean it up.
Erin gets down on her knees and starts putting things away.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
Relax, Erin, I'll do it -- I'm not --
Before he can finish, a huge WATER BUG runs onto Erin's hand.
ERIN
Ugh -- Jesus --
She jumps and brushes it off.
GEORGE
Yeah -- you had a whole family of those
things hanging out back there.
She takes off her shoe and smacks at the bug, missing it.
ERIN
Damn it --
The bug skitters away from her, along the floorboard. Erin
chases it, smacking at it repeatedly, missing it every time.
GEORGE
Don't worry about it, I'll get it later.
But Erin keeps after it, corralling all her frustrations into
killing that one bug.
ERIN
Come here, you little motherfucker --
The bug crawls up onto the table, zipping behind the salt,
the paper, the napkin holder. Erin keeps after it, BANGING
the table harder and harder with each SMACK of her shoe.
GEORGE
Hey, whoa -- relax --
The salt and pepper skid off the table. The napkins fly from
their holder. Just as Erin's about to nail the bug, it slips
into a crack in the wall and disappears. Erin hurls her shoe
at the crack. It SMASHES into the wall.
ERIN
GOD DAMN IT!
As Erin stands there staring at the wall, her breath starts
to come heavily -- those deep breaths that precede tears.
She slowly slides down into a chair, defeat overcoming her.
ERIN
(almost a whisper)
...God damn it.
She looks around at her for-shit kitchen and starts to cry.
ERIN (CONT'D)
What kind of person lives like this?
Huh? What kind of person lets her kids
run around in a house crawling with bugs
the size of housecats?
GEORGE
It's a simple thing. Everybody gets
them. All we gotta do is call an
exterminator.
ERIN
I can't call an exterminator. I can't
afford one. God, I can't even afford my
phone.
(beat)
I got fired.
GEORGE
What? But you been working so hard --
ERIN
Doesn't matter. Doesn't make one fucking
bit of difference.
She exits. After a beat, George follows.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - ERIN'S BEDROOM - DAY
Erin sits on the bed, drying her eyes. George enters. Erin
looks up at herself in the mirror above her bureau.
ERIN
I don't know what happened to me...
George listens by the door.
ERIN (CONT'D)
I mean I was Miss Wichita, for Christ
sakes. Did I tell you that? Did ya
know you were living next door to a real
live beauty queen.
(wipes her nose)
I still got the tiara. I thought it
meant I was gonna do something important
with my life, that I was gonna be
someone.
GEORGE
You are someone.
ERIN
No I'm not. Look at me.
GEORGE
You're someone to me.
He takes a step toward her and kneels in front of her, very
close. He takes her shoe from her hand and puts it back on
her foot. Then he takes her hands in his and kisses them.
ERIN
Are you going to be something else I have
to survive? Cause I'll tell you the
truth, I'm not up to it.
But he kisses her anyway. And for the first time in so long,
she feels like something other than a failure. He pulls her
into him, and she lets herself be pulled.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - ERIN'S BEDROOM - DAY
Erin and George are in bed, naked, curled around each other.
As Erin recites her beauty queen speech, they are both
laughing at the naive, impossible goals of her youth.
ERIN
"....and I will devote my entire reign as
Miss Wichita to bringing an end to world
hunger...and to the creation of a
peaceful earth for every man, woman and
child..."
GEORGE
How long were you going to be Miss Wichita?
ERIN
One year!
(George laughs)
Of course by the time I got through
opening new supermarkets. I had just a
few weeks left for hunger and world
peace, so..Ha, ha, ha...damn..I don't
know what the hell I was thinking.
GEORGE
I wanted to run my own antique shop.
Erin looks at him. Beat. She bursts into laughter.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
(laughing)
Oh that's nice..that's very nice!
He starts tickling her. She screams then covers her mouth so
as not to wake the kids...They roll over each other.
ERIN
I'm sorry...I'm sorry...
GEORGE
My parents rented antiques on the side.
I'm not just some grease monkey, you
know.
ERIN
Oh, I know. You're one of those Zen gods
of motorcycle maintenance, aren't you?
GEORGE
(smiles)
Maybe. Maybe there's a reason I found
that place next door. A reason I revved
my bike that night and you came out
tearing my head off.
ERIN
Yeah, we just did the reason.
She says this as she is about to get up but George holds
her back, suddenly dead serious...
GEORGE
Don't do that to yourself. If that's all
I wanted, I don't need to go next door to
a woman with three kids...
Erin suddenly grows uncomfortable at the implied intimacy.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
(laughs)
All I'm saying is, I can't believe
whatever kind of God there is, put you
here - looking the way you look, with the
brains and balls you got - just to
trip you up and watch you fall. Can't be.
He kisses one of her earlobes. Erin likes the sound of this
but it also makes her apprehensive. She leans in to kiss him,
but before she does:
ERIN
Don't be too nice to me, okay? It makes
me nervous.
George looks almost hurt, but empathetic. Erin kisses him
long and hard as they begin to make love again.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed is at his desk. The PHONE RINGS. And RINGS. And RINGS.
ED
Brenda!
(no answer)
BRENDA!
Nothing. Ed growls in frustration, then gets the phone.
ED
Yeah, Ed Masry here...She doesn't work
here anymore. Who's this?
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
CLOSE ON THE TABLE, where Beth is bobbling in her baby chair.
On one side of her is a heap of bills with "PAST DUE" and
"PLEASE REMIT" stamped on them. On the other, the well-
thumbed CLASSIFIED SECTION, with circles and X's all over it.
The DOORBELL rings. Erin swoops in and picks up Beth.
ERIN
Come on, baby. Maybe that's Ed McMahon.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - DAY
Erin carries Beth over to the front door, spies through the
peephole, and sees Ed standing there. She opens the door.
ERIN
Wrong Ed.
(Ed looks
confused)
What are you doing here?
ED
I got an interesting call this afternoon.
It was from a Doctor Frankel from UCLA.
ERIN
Oh, yeah?
ED
He wanted you to know the legal limit for
hexavalent chromium, is .05 parts per
million. And that at the rate you
mentioned, .58, it could be responsible
for the cancers in that family you asked
about. The Irvings.
ERIN
Well, that was nice of him. Isn't it
funny how some people go out of their way
to help people and others just fire 'em.
ED
Look, I'm sorry. You were gone. I just
assumed you were off having fun.
ERIN
Now, why in the hell would you assume
that?
ED
I don't know. Maybe 'cause you look like
someone who has a lot of fun.
ERIN
OH! So by that standard I should assume
you never get laid.
Ed takes a beat, copping to the charge. He admits:
ED
I'm married.
(Erin suppresses
a smile)
So what's the story on this thing? This
cancer stuff?
ERIN
You wanna know, you gotta hire me back.
I got a lot of bills to pay.
He glares at her. Realizes he has no choice.
ED
Fine.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATER
Erin has let Ed in. They're sitting.
ERIN
..so Donna had just put in these new
cabinets - real nice, stained the wood
and all - when she gets this call from
somebody at PG&E saying that a freeway's
gonna be built and they want to buy her
house so they can make an off ramp for
the plant...Meanwhile, the husband's sick
with Hodgkins and she's in and out of the
hospital with tumors - believing one
thing has anything to do with the other.
ED
Because PG&E told her about the chromium.
ERIN
Get this - they held a seminar. They
invited about two hundred residents from
the area. They had it at the plant in
this warehouse. They set up legal booths
to tell them what their legal rights
were. They had medical booths to tell
them what their medical rights were....
Ed is listening with more and more interest.
ERIN (CONT'D)
...Telling them all about Chromium 3 and
how it was good for you, when all the
time they were using Chromium 6.
ED
(impressed)
You got all this from her?
ERIN
(beat. shrugs)
She made coffee. Cupcakes. She's real
nice.
Beat.
ED
That document you found at the Water
Board, the one that says it was the bad
chromium -- you didn't happen to make a
copy did you?
ERIN
'Course I did.
ED
Lemme see it, will you?
Before getting it for him, she looks at him.
ERIN
I want a raise. And benefits. Including
dental.
ED
Look, Erin, this is not the way I do
business.
ERIN
What way is that?
ED
Extortion.
Erin doesn't budge.
ED
Okay. A five percent raise, and --
ERIN
Ten.
(off his look)
There's a lot other places I could work. I
could even take everything I know to
another law firm.
ED
A ten percent raise and benefits. But
that's it. I'm drawing the line.
She goes to her box of stuff from the office and digs out the
document for him. He scans it.
ED
This is the only thing you found?
ERIN
So far. But that place is a pig sty. I
wouldn't be surprised if there's more.
ED
I know how those places are run. They're
a mess. What makes you think you can just
walk in there and find what we need?
ERIN
They're called boobs, Ed.
Shaking his head, Ed rises to leave as he says;
ED
I can't believe you just said that...
EXT. 10 FREEWAY - DAY
Erin's Hyundai zips along the freeway.
Erin's driving. Matthew's in the front seat. Katie and Beth
(in a car seat) are in the back;
INT. HYUNDAI - DAY
Improvisational...i.e. Matthew keeps trying to tell a joke he
heard. Katie keeps trying to guess, like it's a riddle,
frustrating Matthew and cracking up Erin...
EXT. PG&E COMPRESSOR STATION - DAY
The Hyundai is parked at the entrance to the station, by a
row of dead trees. Erin is standing beside a sign that says
"Private Property. No Trespassing," taking pictures of the
massive structure in the distance. Matthew, Katie, and Beth
are drawing in the dirt with sticks.
ERIN
Stay out of the road. I'll be right
back.
She wanders up the drive, onto PG&E property, moving around
the plant, taking pictures of it from every possible angle.
As she wanders over a big, flat, dry field to the side of the
plant, she glances over her shoulder to check on her kids and
notices the trail she made in the dirt has a greenish hue.
She looks at the dirt right her feet. Kicks the ground.
Below the surface, the dirt turns from brown to green. Erin
notes this, then looks back at her kids playing in the dirt.
Worry comes over her face. She heads back to them.
EXT. HINKLEY MART - DAY
The kids are waiting at the car. Erin comes out of the store
with a bottle of water and uses it to rinse off their hands.
EXT. WATER BOARD - DAY
The sound of a BABY CRYING. The Hyundai's parked in front.
MATTHEW (O.S.)
I'm hungry.
INT. WATER BOARD - DAY
Erin is at the Xerox machine, copying a file while she tries
to calm Beth. There's a stack of files on the nearby table.
Matthew and Katie are flopping around on the floor.
ERIN
We'll go eat in a minute. Settle down.
Ross is on the phone with someone - we don't know who - but
the look on his face is one of anxiety. His eyes keep
shifting between the call and Erin. He nods as if he
understands and hangs up... He crosses to her.
ROSS
(real friendly)
So, how we doin'?
ERIN
We're doing great?
ROSS
(off the cuff)
Good..Well, you've got quite a lot done
already..so uhh...I'm sorry but uh...we
...we have to have those records back
now. OK?
Erin stops..looks at him..and quickly knows how to respond;
ERIN
No.
ROSS
What?
ERIN
These papers are a matter of public
record. I'm not leaving til they're
copied.
Erin returns to copying. Ross is stymied.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - BRENDA'S DESK - DAY
Ed comes in in the morning, and without pausing, hands Brenda
a copy of the STACK OF DOCUMENTS, with a Post-It on the top.
ED
Fax these to this number, okay?
BRENDA
All of 'em?
ED
All of them.
He continues into his office and closes the door.
CLOSE ON THE FAX MACHINE LED
Brenda types in the number. The recipient's ID comes up on
the LED: PG&E CLAIMS DEPT.
INT. IRVING HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Donna has made lunch for Erin. The remnants are on the coffee
table. A copy of those DOCUMENTS are in Donna's hands. She's
on her couch with Erin, reading them. Outside, Donna's two
daughters are playing in the pool. She reads the last page
and looks up at Erin, bewildered.
DONNA
An on-site monitoring well? That means --
ERIN
It was right up on the PG&E property over
there.
DONNA
And you say this stuff, this hexavalent
chromium -- it's poisonous?
ERIN
Yeah.
DONNA
Well -- then it's gotta be different than
what's in our water, 'cause ours is okay.
The guys from PG&E told me. They sat
right in the kitchen and said it was
fine.
ERIN
I know. But the toxicologist I been
talking to? He gave me a list of
problems that can come from hexavalent
chromium exposure. And everything you
all have is on that list.
Donna resists this idea hard.
DONNA
No. Hunh-uh, see, that's not what the
doctor said. He said one's got
absolutely nothing to do with the other.
ERIN
Right, but -- didn't you say the doctor
was paid by PG&E?
Donna sits quietly, trying to make sense of this. The only
sound is the LAUGHING and SPLASHING from the pool out back.
Then, gradually, Donna realizes what it is she's hearing --
her kids playing in toxic water. She jumps up...
DONNA
ASHLEY! SHANNA!
...and runs out to the pool. Erin follows her.
EXT. DONNA'S HOUSE - DAY
From the door, Erin watches Donna run to the edge of the pool
in a frantic response to this news.
DONNA
OUT OF THE POOL! BOTH OF YOU, OUT OF THE
POOL, RIGHT NOW!
SHANNA
How come?
DONNA
'CAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY, NOW GET
OUT! OUT! NOW!!!
Erin watches compassionately as Donna flails to get her kids
out of the contaminated water.
INT. ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed is attempting to tie his tie in a mirror, as Erin looks
on. He's very excited as he fumbles the knot...
ED
I'm telling you, the minute Brenda sent
the fax -- I'm talking the second she
pressed that send button -- PG&E claims
department is on the phone to me,
scheduling a meeting.
ERIN
So you think we...let me do this, you're
driving me nuts...
She makes him face her as she ties his tie....
ED
It's the material.
ERIN
(looks at label)
Armani?
(Ed shrugs)
You think we scared'em, don't you?
ED
Well, they're taking the time to send
someone. It sure as hell sounds like
they're sitting up and taking notice. Now
do me a favor, and let me handle this.
Lawyers have a way of talking to each
other.
ERIN
(humoring him)
Oh, I know.
Brenda pops her head in, ignores Erin - though clearly takes
notice of her tying Ed's tie.
BRENDA
David Baum from PG&E is at reception.
Erin feels the chill Brenda's sending her way. Erin decides
to tease her by speaking to Ed in a sultry voice:
ERIN
Oh Mr. Masry, we better learn how to
dress faster. People can come in so
suddenly..(giggles)
Brenda leaves without acknowledging Erin. Ed grimaces;
ED
Is that..
ED (CONT'D) ERIN
..necessary? Brenda's gonna Oh come on. I'm teasing. Who
open her mouth all over the gives a shit...
offi-
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - BRENDA'S DESK - CONTINUOUS
Jane is delivering paychecks, spots Brenda exiting Ed's office
and whispers:
JANE
What's she doing here?
BRENDA
He hired her back. With a raise.
JANE
What?? Why?
BRENDA
He's a man...She's a woman.
JANE
What are we - office supplies?
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - MAIN ROOM - DAY
Ed and Erin come out and see DAVID BAUM waiting at reception.
Forget law school, this kid looks like he's just out of
twelfth grade. Not a hair on his chin. His suit and shoes
look brand new.
Ed stops suddenly, before being seen. Erin stops too.
ERIN
What?
Ed's expression upon seeing the "young" representative tells
us he's none too happy.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Ed and Erin are seated across the table from Baum. To say
this kid lacks authority is a gross understatement. He
doesn't talk; he squeaks.
BAUM
...in the interest of putting this whole
thing to rest, PG&E is willing to offer
the Irvings 250,000 dollars for their
home.
Ed laughs a little in disbelief.
ED
250,000?
BAUM
In terms of land value out in Hinkley,
Mr. Masry, we feel it's more than fair
price.
ED
What about in terms of medical expenses?
250,000 doesn't come close to what this
family's gonna have to spend on doctors.
BAUM
I understand they've had a bad run of
luck, health-wise, and they have my
sympathies. But that's not PG&E's fault.
ED
You're kidding, right?
Baum doesn't answer.
ED (CONT'D)
Look at these readings for Christ's sake.
PG&E's own technicians documented toxic
levels of hexavalent chromium in those
test wells on numerous occasions.
Ed shoves them across the table. Baum doesn't look at them.
ED (CONT'D)
Everything the Irvings have had is proven
reaction to exposure to hexavalent
chromium. They've had...
He stalls a moment. Erin jumps in.
ERIN
-- breast cysts, uterine cancer,
Hodgkin's disease, immune deficiencies,
asthma, chronic nosebleeds.
Despite their persuasiveness, Baum parrots what is obviously
the party line:
BAUM
A million things could have caused those
problems. Poor diet, bad genes,
irresponsible lifestyle. Our offer is
final and more than fair.
ED
Wait a minute -- I thought we were
negotiating here.
BAUM
250,000 is all I'm authorized to offer.
Ed looks across at this pissant little kid. Then stands.
ED
I will present your offer to my clients.
I doubt they'll accept it.
As Ed starts out, Baum tries to take a stand;
BAUM
Mr. Masry, before you go off on some
crusade, you might want to remember who
it is you're dealing with here. PG&E is
a twenty-eight-billion-dollar
corporation.
ED
(smiles, acting
excited/greedy)
Twenty-eight billion dollars! I didn't
know it was THAT much! WOW!
Baum suddenly realizes he's made a mistake admitting the
company's wealth. Ed leaves the conference room. Erin
follows him out.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - MAIN ROOM - DAY
Erin follows Ed as he stomps back to his office.
ERIN
At least they made an offer.
ED
(undoing his
tie)
That wasn't an offer. A million would've
been an offer. When they send the god
damn mail clerk down to jerk me off,
waste my time, it's a fuck you.
Ed throws the tie off.
ERIN
I don't get why they'd do that.
ED
Because they can. You heard that kid --
they have twenty-eight billion dollars at
their disposal. They can afford to waste
all the time in the world!
ERIN
And you can't?
ED
What, you think I'm made of money?!
ERIN
What are you yelling at me for?
ED
Because I'm fucking pissed off!
ERIN
(yells back)
Good!
ED
FUCK YOU!
Erin starts to smile. Ed cracks a smile then starts to laugh.
ED
I really hate you sometimes, ya know
that.
ERIN
You love me.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - LADIES ROOM - NIGHT
At the end of her day, Rosalind enters to fix herself up
before going home. She walks in on:
Erin, splashing cold water on her face..and dabbing her eyes
with cool, wet paper towels...They do not speak as Rosalind
steps beside her to face the mirrors above the sink. After a
beat or two, Erin exits.
Alone, Rosalind has her lipstick and is about to apply when
she looks at herself in the mirror...She tries lowering her
neckline...then, loosening up her hair...as if secretly
showing herself what an Erin-makeover would do for her.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - OUTSIDE ED'S OFFICE - NIGHT
End of the day. Most everyone has left. Erin is at her new
work space near Ed's office. She's poring over a fat file of
documents. Rosalind wanders by with her coat on.
ROSALIND
You've been reading for hours.
ERIN
I'm a slow reader.
Whatever she thinks of her, Rosalind can't help but see
Erin's hard at work. She turns on Erin's desk lamp and heads
out - it's the first helpful hand Erin has received from
one of the women.
Erin turns back to her work when her attention is then drawn
to the big glass office doors; on the other side, Rosalind is
talking to a lost-looking COUPLE IN THEIR MID-30's. These
are MANDY and TOM BROWN. He's in a security guard uniform,
with an envelope under his arm. Rosalind points to Erin.
The Browns enter the office and approach her.
MANDY
Excuse me, are you Erin Brockovich?
ERIN
Yeah. Who are you?
TOM
I'm Tom Brown. This is my wife Mandy.
We used to live across the street from
the Irvings. PG&E bought our house last
year.
INT. ERIN'S DESK - LATER
CLOSE ON PHOTOS OF CHICKENS, each with a twisted, limp neck.
TOM
It's called wry neck. It's when they're
born without any muscles in the neck.
WIDEN to see Erin looking at them with Tom and Mandy.
ERIN
Wow. How many were born like this?
TOM
Twelve, maybe thirteen.
MANDY
When Donna told us about you, and what
you told her about the chromium, we
figured that might have something to do
with this, too.
ERIN
It sure could, yeah. Thanks a lot.
She tucks them into a file, as if that's it.
MANDY
There's something else, too.
ERIN
What?
TOM
Well. Mandy here's had nine
miscarriages.
ERIN
Are you kidding? My God --
MANDY
I know. It's an awful lot.
ERIN
I'm surprised Donna didn't say anything.
TOM
She doesn't know. No one does. It's not
something you want to talk about, you
know?
MANDY
I figured it musta been something I did,
like when I smoked marijuana, maybe. Or
took birth control pills. But then Donna
told me you thought this chromium might
be to blame for her problems, so I
figured...
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Erin enters, exhausted. She collapses on a chair.
George is on his hands and knees, apparently searching for a
lost toy. Erin talks to him with her eyes closed.
ERIN
I got to take a bath.
GEORGE
You should go in.
ERIN
They're not asleep?
GEORGE
Katie and Beth are.
They exchange a look. Erin knows Matt's upset.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - MATT AND KATIE'S ROOM - NIGHT
Matt and Katie are in bed, with the light off. Erin comes
in, quietly, in clothes from work.
ERIN
Hey.
CLOSE ON MATT. He's awake and pissed. She sits on his bed.
She knows he's mad at her - she speaks softly, caringly;
ERIN
How was school?
MATTHEW
Fine.
ERIN
Did you do your homework?
MATTHEW
Yeah.
ERIN
Any problems?
He doesn't answer. She comes in and sits on the bed.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Look, I know you're upset. But the way
this job is, things come up at the last
minute, real important things, and I
gotta deal with-
Matt turns around in his bed and pulls up the covers, cutting
her off-
MATTHEW
Fine.
ERIN
Please don't be mad at me. I'm..I'm doing
this for us...I know it's hard for you to
understand but..I mean, don't you want
mommy to be good at her job?
(no answer)
And it's not like I miss dinner all the
time. We all ate together last night.
MATTHEW
(from under the
covers)
You were reading the whole time.
He's got a point there. Erin feels like shit.
ERIN
O.K...O.K. I'm sorry. I'll try a whole
lot harder to be around, okay? I
promise.
She lays her hand on his body. Without turning towards her,
his little hand rises out from the covers and touches hers.
EXT. ROUTE 10, INLAND EMPIRE - DAY
Ed's big old Mercedes is toodling down the freeway at a rate
well below the speed limit.
INT. ED'S MERCEDES - DAY
Frank Sinatra on the stereo, the "Songs for Swingin' Lovers"
album. Ed looks over at Erin and smiles. Erin just stares at
him, then looks over at the speedometer. 50 mph. Ugh.
Ed's car phone rings. He picks it up.
ED
Ed Masry.
(his voice
softens)
Hi, baby. Yes, I did. I did, really.
He laughs, and the car starts drifting across the lane markers.
THWACK THWACK THWACK. Ed doesn't notice. Erin's getting nervous.
ED (CONT'D)
Of course I do. Of course I do. Okay.
He makes a kissing noise into the phone. He's practically
driving off the road.
ED (CONT'D)
Bye-bye...bye-bye...no, you. Okay,
together: Bye-bye.
He hangs up, smiling to himself. Erin clears her throat.
ERIN
Um, you mind pulling over? Just for a
second?
EXT. FREEWAY - DAY
The Mercedes pulls to a stop on the shoulder. Erin gets out,
walks around to the driver's side, and opens the door.
ERIN
First of all, don't talk baby talk to
your wife in front of me. It really
undermines your authority. Second, I know
you're my boss and all, but you are the
worst fucking driver I've ever seen. Move
over or I quit.
He moves over. She gets in, turns off the Sinatra, and they
pull back out onto the freeway in silence.
EXT. IRVING'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Mercedes and a truck are parked out front.
PETE (O.S.)
There's something about this whole thing
I don't quite understand, Mr. Masry.
INT. DONNA IRVING'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Donna and Pete Irving, and Mandy and Roy Brown are all
seated, sipping iced tea. While they talk, Erin hands them
all information packets on chromium. Ed is standing in front
of them, a little stiff.
PETE
If PG&E messed with our water, why would
they bother saying anything about it to
us? Why not just keep quiet about it?
ED
To establish a statute of limitations.
See, in a case like this, you only have a
year from the time you first learn about
the problem to file suit. So PG&E
figures, we'll let the cat out of the bag
-- tell the people the water's not
perfect; if we can ride out the year with
no one suing, we'll be in the clear
forever.
PETE
But they're not like that. I mean,
remember Donna, they sent us bottled
water. We didn't ask for it. They just did
it.
ED
But then they stopped.
Ed looks to Donna. She nods.
ED (CONT'D)
As soon as the statute of limitations
ended, they stopped.
DONNA
But it was more than a year ago that they
told us --
ED
It's okay. We're not suing.
ERIN
Not yet.
ED
(annoyed at that
remark)
All we're doing is using this information
to get you a real nice purchase price on
your house, and get you two --
(to the Browns)
-- a comparable retroactive bonus added
to your sale price. This way, and PG&E can
still look good to their shareholders,
'cause they're not involved in an ugly
lawsuit; all they're doing is buying a
little property.
Roy looks up from his retainer agreement.
ROY
It doesn't say here how much this whole
thing's gonna cost us.
ED
My fee's forty percent of whatever you
get awarded.
Erin watches them look around at each other, stunned by the
figure.
ERIN
Boy, do I know how you feel. First time
I heard that number, I said you got to be
kidding me. Forty goddamn percent?
ED
Erin --
ERIN
I'm the one who's injured, and this joker
who sits at a desk all day is gonna walk
away with almost half my reward?
ED
Erin --
Erin's enjoying Ed's discomfort almost too much to stop. But
just almost. She shifts gears.
ERIN
Then I asked him how much he makes if I
didn't get anything.
They look at Ed. Well?
ED
Then I don't get anything either.
ERIN
And I realized, he's taking a chance too.
When they hear this, and realize he's in it with them, they
all reach for their pens and sign. They hand the agreements
over to Erin, who takes them across the room to Ed. He
stuffs them in his briefcase and closes it up. That's that.
ED
All right, then.
DONNA
I made a bundt cake. I'll put on some
coffee. Who wants coffee and cake?
ED
Thank you, but we have to be getting
back.
Boy. Cold as ice. Erin stares at him, stunned by his
brusque manner, then leans into him, close.
ERIN
(whispering)
Have a fucking cup of coffee, Ed.
She gives him a stern look, then turns toward the women.
ERIN (CONT'D)
Donna, let me help you clean all this up.
She picks up a tray of iced tea and cookies and heads to the
kitchen. Donna and Mandy follow, leaving Ed alone with Pete
and Roy. He stands there, awkwardly.
INT. DONNA'S KITCHEN - DAY
Erin and Donna are putting away the cleaned glasses. Mandy
is scanning the chromium pamphlet Erin gave her.
MANDY
You know that thing it says in here about
rashes?
ERIN
Uh-huh?
MANDY
Well, this old neighbor of mine, Bob
Linwood -- he ran the dairy on Community
-- seemed like someone in his family
always had a rash somewhere or other. I
just figured it was something in the
genes. And you know how it is -- you
don't like to ask about things like
that...
Erin listens, interested.
EXT. LINWOOD DAIRY - BARN - DAY
Another day. BOB LINWOOD, 40's and gruff, is in the barn,
tossing hay around.
ERIN (O.S.)
Excuse me. Are you Mr. Linwood?
He sees Erin picking her way toward him in her high-heels.
LINWOOD
Yeah?
ERIN
I'm Erin Brockovich. I work at the law
firm that represents your former
neighbors the Browns. They suggested I
give you a call.
She steps in a cow patty. Laughs at herself good-naturedly.
ERIN
Boy howdy, did I ever wear the wrong
shoes.
EXT. THE DESOTOS' HOUSE - DAY
CLOSE ON A SIGN that reads: THE DESOTOS, hanging on the side
of a small, paint-chipped house. Erin is at the door talking
to MARY DESOTO, 65, who's wearing a big cross at her breast.
ERIN
...and Mr. Linwood seemed to think that
your husband had been sick as well.
MARY
Yes, Mr. DeSoto has lung cancer. Never
smoked a day in his life, neither.
INT. LAURA AND MIKE AMBROSINO'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Erin is talking to MIKE and LAURA AMBROSINO -- 30's. Solid,
family folks. But Laura's left brow and cheekbone look
swollen and misshapen, and she's trying to hide the fact that
she's in a lot of pain.
ERIN
Mrs. DeSoto said she wasn't sure exactly
what it was that you had --
MIKE AMBROSINO
She's not alone on that one.
LAURA
Well, they know what it is -- it's called
fibrous dysplasia --
MIKE
The bones start growing again. Gives her
headaches like you wouldn't believe.
LAURA
-- they just don't know what caused it.
EXT. PAMELA DUNCAN'S HOUSE - DAY
Erin stands at the front door and rings the bell. After a
moment;
PAMELA DUNCAN opens the door, a cup of coffee in her hand. By
her distant, cautious attitude, we immediately sense a
difference between her and the other Hinkley residents.
ERIN
Hi. My name is Erin Brocko-
PAMELA
I know who you are. Donna called me.
ERIN
Oh... May I come in?
PAMELA
I told Donna we're not interested in
getting involved.
Beat.
ERIN
Can I ask you why?
PAMELA
What's the point?
ERIN
Donna told me you've been sick. Your kids
were sick...
Pamela gets angry at the mention of her kids.
PAMELA
You people don't give a shit, do you?
Anything to get what you want!
Slams the door in her face.
INT. RITA AND TED DANIELS' HOUSE - DAY
Erin is talking to TED AND RITA DANIELS. Their daughter
ANNABELLE, 10, is sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.
ERIN
...then Mike Ambrosino remembered seeing
you folks at the hospital from time to
time too, so I thought I'd just stop by.
(to Annabelle)
You must be Annabelle.
ANNABELLE
Uh-huh.
ERIN
Whew, are you ever a beauty. I mean, you
must drive those boys crazy.
Annabelle smiles a little.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - ERIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Late night. George rolls over -- Erin's side of the bed is
empty. He checks the clock, then gets up and heads into:
INT. ERIN'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - NIGHT
He peers around and spots her, sitting in the little kid's
chair in Matthew and Katie's room.
INT. ERIN'S APARTMENT - MATTHEW AND KATIE'S ROOM - NIGHT
Erin is holding Beth, watching Matt and Katie sleep. The
experience of seeing Annabelle has left her shaky - as if she
was afraid to take her eyes off them for fear something might
happen....She hears the floor creak as George steps into the
doorway.
GEORGE
What are you doing, hon?
Erin looks at him - on the edge of tears.
ERIN
I just wanted to make sure they were all
right.
Sympathetic, George kneels beside her.
GEORGE
They're fine....Come back to bed.
ERIN
I don't know what I think I'm going to do
for these people. No matter what I do, it
won't be enough.
GEORGE
You're doing everything you can. But if
it's gonna eat you up like this, maybe
you better stop.
Erin looks up at him and George knows immediately he has said
the wrong thing. Erin rises and passes by him, to put Beth to
bed. George is tired...and doesn't know how to help her.
EXT. VALLEY SIDEWALK - DAY
Ed and Erin are walking down the street, take-out coffee cups
in their hands. Ed is sipping his, but Erin is in too much
of a lather to drink hers.
ED
Hunh-uh. Absolutely not.
ERIN
That's crazy -- why not?
ED
Because I said no. Look -- the only
reason PG&E's even talking to us is
'cause this is a quiet little real estate
dispute. We add plaintiffs, and suddenly
we're in the middle of a toxic tort --
with a statute problem -- against a
massive utility. No, thank you.
They go into their office building.
INT. ELEVATOR - DAY
Erin and Ed are riding up.
ERIN
Okay, so here's what I'll do. I'll go on
up to Ted and Rita Daniels -- two of the
nicest people you'd ever hope to meet,
who spend every single day watching their
little girl fight like a dog against this
cancer -- I'll tell them we can't help
them cause you don't feel like working
that hard.
ED
(turns on her)
Working hard!!? Why you little...Let me
tell you something - I've worked all my
life. I built a firm and kept it alive
through lawsuits, injunctions, and
evictions. I have survived a quadruple
bypass, cancer, being born with one
kidney and having diabetes...
Erin's genuinely impressed as Erin continues;
ED (CONT'D)
...I have personally managed to save a
few million dollars over more than thirty
years of getting some clients ten times
that. Don't tell me I haven't worked hard
enough! Don't tell me I don't have the
right to stop..to take a fucking breath
and enjoy my life.
Erin is smart enough to know when to listen. So she does. And
she waits...
ED
-- And what the hell do you know about
any of this anyway!? Something like this,
Erin -- it could take forever. They're a
huge corporation. They could bury us in
paperwork for the next fifteen years.
I'm just one guy with a private firm.
She makes her move-
ERIN
-- who happens to know they poisoned
people and lied about it.
The doors open. Ed gets off. Erin follows.
INT. MASRY LAW OFFICE BUILDING - HALLWAY - DAY
Erin's dodging Ed down the hall, to the office.
ERIN
And this shit is bad news. Look, my
dad could build one of these plants
blindfolded. I talked him through the
files. I said how much Chrom 6 in the
groundwater are we talking about over the
years and he said, "Oh, by now, probably
about three football fields long...four
miles deep! Think about it...
ED
(overlap)
Erin-
ERIN
(overlap)
..And not only does this shit attack
every organ of the body, it fucks with
your DNA, too. I mean these people's
genes, and the genes of their kids, and
the genes of their grandkids --
ED
I know how DNA works, Erin --
He gets to the Masry & Vititoe doors. Opens them.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - DAY
Erin tails Ed back to his office.
ERIN
We can get these people. With a little
effort, I really think we can nail their
asses to the wall.
ED
Oh, you do? With all your legal
expertise, you believe that?
ERIN
Don't you ever just know?
Erin speaks with such calm sincerity, it stops Ed for a
moment. She thinks she's getting to him.
ED
Do you also "just know" where the money's
going to come from? I've already spent
most of my own savings this case.
ERIN
We'll figure it out. Look, I admit I
don't know shit about shit. But I know
the difference --
He moves away and shuts his office door on her.
ERIN (CONT'D)
-- BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG!
INT. ED'S OFFICE - DAY
Ed goes over to his desk, sits down. He sees a stack of
messages there, starts flipping through them. Then he stops.
ED
Damn it.
He shoves the messages aside and puts his head in his hands.
He sits like that for a moment.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - DAY
Erin remains outside of Ed's office door, as Brenda passes by
without stopping or saying hello:
ERIN
Looking good Brenda. Have another bag of
Doritos!
Ed opens the door, surprised to find her still there.
ED
How many families we talking about here?
ERIN
Four more. Eleven people. So far.
ED
You think there's more?
ERIN
Well -- I found one document at the water
board that had a toxic test well reading
from 1967. A hell of a lot of people
have lived on that land since then.
Ed pauses, groans again, realizing what decision he's making.
ED
This is a whole different ball game,
Erin. A much bigger deal.
ERIN
Kinda like David and what's-his-name?
ED
Kinda like David and what's-his-name's
whole fucking family.
(heavy sigh)
Okay, here's the deal -- if, and only if,
you find me the evidence to back all this
up -- I'll do it. I'll take it on.
She smiles victoriously.
ERIN
You're doing the right thing, Mr. Masry.
ED
Yeah, yeah. Remind me of that when I'm
filing for bankruptcy.
ERIN
'Course, gathering evidence -- now,
that's a big job. A hell of a lot bigger
than just filing. I'm gonna be working a
lot harder now, taking on a lot more
responsibility ...
He gives her a look. Knows what's coming.
ED
(overlaps, to
himself)
I don't fucking believe this-
ERIN
(overlapping)
Another raise wouldn't hurt. And with
all the time I'm gonna be spending on the
road, I'll probably be needing my own
cell phone, won't I?
Ed closes the door on her. Erin smiles. As she crosses back
to her desk.
INT. TOYS 'R' US - DAY
Erin enters Toys 'R' Us with George, Matthew, Katie and Beth.
ERIN
You each can pick out four things. But
nothing huge. Look at the price.
Nothing crazy.
Matthew and Katie fan out into the store.
GEORGE
You can buy 'em all the toys you want,
but come Monday, when you split again,
they're still gonna be pissed.
Erin looks over at him, weary.
ERIN
George, I am just trying to do something
nice for my kids on my one day off.
Could you please not give me a hard time
about it?
GEORGE
One toy per kid is doing something nice.
Four is... something else.
ERIN
Well, hell, I guess that's it, then, huh?
They're scarred for life. They're gonna
start holding up 7-Elevens any day now.
GEORGE
I'm just saying --
ERIN
(with intensity)
I know what you're saying, and I don't
wanna hear it. I am doing the best I
can.
And she walks away from him.
EXT. HINKLEY - ROADSIDE DITCH - DAY
Erin is straddling a ditch, scooping clumps of gunky moss
from the ditch into plastic containers.
As Erin labels the containers, she slides down the side of
the ditch, and she lands smack in it, knee-deep in gunk.
EXT. HINKLEY - COMMUNITY BOULEVARD - NIGHT
Erin, now completely dirty, is climbing over a fence marked
"No Trespassing". Her arms are full of more containers.
She adds them to a growing collection of containers in the
trunk of her car.
EXT. HINKLEY - THE POOL BEHIND AN ABANDONED HOUSE - DAY
Another day. This time it's RAINING. Erin minces her way
down to the deep end of the pool.
She gets to the deep end and scoops up a Ziploc full of
rancid pool water and seals it.
Erin spots a few dead frogs in the water. She picks one up
by the leg, and seals it in a plastic bag as well.
EXT. WELL - DAY
With a sample cup held in her teeth, Erin hauls herself up
over the well's concrete wall, then, with her back against
one side of the well and her feet against the other, starts
shimmying down the well.
INSIDE THE WELL
She winces at the algae and gook that's clinging to her as
she descends to the water level. When she's low enough, she
takes the sample cup from her teeth and scoops up the water.
EXT. WELL - DAY
Erin raises herself up to see:
TWO GUARDS heading straight for her.
She scampers to her feet and runs. The Guards pursue - chasing
her off the property....
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ERIN'S DESK - DAY
Erin's at her desk, bending over her notebook in a miniskirt,
adding reports to the TOXICOLOGY binder.
ON THE REPORTS: We catch a few words: "water sample A...",
"soil sample D...", "frog sample A...", "...traces of
hexavalent..."
Brenda looks at Erin and sees her hem rising in the back.
BRENDA
For God's sake, Erin, I can see your
panties.
Erin turns to Brenda, relishing the chance to irritate her.
ERIN
Liar. I'm not wearing any.
Ed, in his office, laughs. He's starting to like this gal.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
It's a hot night. George is playing on the floor with the
kids. Erin is behind them on the couch, laboriously reading
a book labeled, simply, CHROMIUM. The phone RINGS. Erin
picks it up.
ERIN
Hello?
MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Is this the Erin Pattee Brockovich that's
been snooping around the water board?
His voice is flat, creepy. Not friendly.
ERIN
Yes. Who's this?
MALE VOICE
You should watch your step. A young lady
like yourself with three young children.
ERIN
(overlapping)
Who is this?
MALE VOICE
Do you understand what I'm saying?
CLICK. Erin stares at the phone, freaked.
INT. ERIN'S HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - NIGHT
George watches Erin double-checking the locks on the door.
ERIN
I'm not gonna quit 'cause of one creepy
phone call, George.
GEORGE
Come on, Erin. A job's supposed to pay
your bills, not put you in danger.
ERIN
I'm not in danger. I mean, the phones
might be tapped -
GEORGE
(overlaps)
What?
ERIN
(overlaps)
...but that's usual. And we have a dead
bolt. It's not a big deal.
She goes to the living room, double-checks the window locks
in there. George follows.
GEORGE
Look, don't you think you might be out of
your league here?
ERIN
No, see -- that's exactly what those
arrogant PG&E fucks want me to think --
But you know what? They're wrong.
She heads into the bedrooms.
GEORGE
It doesn't have to be this complicated,
Erin. There's a lot of jobs out there.
ERIN
(off-hand)
How would you know?
George reacts, a little stung. He follows her into:
INT. MATT AND KATIE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Matt and Katie are asleep. Erin is checking their windows.
George comes in. They whisper.
GEORGE
You mind telling me what that's supposed
to mean?
ERIN
Nothing. I'm sorry.
GEORGE
If you got a problem with me taking care
of your kids instead of getting some job,
just say so.
ERIN
I didn't say that.
GEORGE
'Cause I can get a job. I will. And you
can start leaving the kids with the
chicken fat lady again. Would that make
you happy?
ERIN
Keep your voice down. I said I'm sorry.
GEORGE
I know what they can sleep through, Erin.
I probably know it better than you.
She gives him a glare, then leaves the room.
INT. WATER BOARD - DAY
Erin is reaching up to a high shelf for a dusty old box of
files. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Ross passing.
ERIN
Hey, Ross. Tell me something. Does PG&E
pay you to cover their ass, or do you
just do it out of the kindness of your
heart?
ROSS
I don't know what you're talking about.
ERIN
The fuck you don't. No one calls me
Pattee. That heavy-breathing sicko that
called the other night could've only
found out about me from you.
(beat)
People are dying, Ross. You've got
document after document here, right under
your nose, that says why, and you haven't
said word one about it. I wanna know how
the hell you sleep at night.
Ross is speechless. He just stands there. Erin drags the
box to the floor and goes to work.
INT. ERIN'S HYUNDAI - NIGHT
A pile of documents is strapped into the passenger seat. An
empty coffee cup rolls around the floor. Erin's driving,
exhausted. She yawns as she dials her phone.
GEORGE (O.S.)
Hello?
INTERCUT between Erin in her car, and George in bed.
ERIN
I'm so tired I'm about to drive off the
road. Keep me awake, willya?
GEORGE
What do you want, a joke?
ERIN
No... Just tell me about your day. What
went on back there?
GEORGE
Well, come to think of it, we did have a
big event around here. Beth started
talking.
ERIN
What?
(beat)
Beth? My Beth?
GEORGE
Yeah. We were sitting around at lunch
and she pointed at a ball and said,
"ball."
Erin says nothing, just stares out at the empty highway,
feeling all hollowed-out.
GEORGE (CONT'D)
I'd never seen that before -- someone's
first word. Pretty intense.
Erin just nods. Keeps staring straight ahead as a tear rolls
down her cheek.
INT. MASRY & VITITOE - ERIN AND BRENDA'S AREA - DAY
CLOSE ON SOME FILES as Erin hands them to Ed. As he takes
them from her, he notices a crematory urn on Erin's desk.
ED
Is that what I think it is?
ERIN
She lived on the plume. You never
know.
Ed laughs and hands the documents to Brenda without looking
at her. She grumpily takes them over to the fax machine.
CLOSE ON THE FAX LED as Brenda types in the number. The
recipient's name comes up again: PG&E CLAIMS DEPT.
EXT. HINKLEY BARBECUE - DAY
Open pits, pony rides, watermelon. George is watching Katie
and Matt being led around on ponies, an activity that stopped
being fun hours ago. Now they're just hot and tired.
B