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Erin Brockovich poster

Movies that feel likeErin Brockovich (2000)

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

If you loved Erin Brockovich, the closest films we have are On My Skin (2018), You Can Count on Me (2000) and Richard Jewell (2019). All three share Erin Brockovich's contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Brainstorm (2001).

πŸ… 87% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Steven Soderberghcontemplative
7 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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See it on the Mood Map

If Erin Brockovich hit the spot, these will too

On My Skin poster
On My Skin
2018 Β· dir. Alessio Cremonini
β˜… 7.3dramaNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: biography

The incredible true story behind the most controversial Italian court cases in recent years. Stefano Cucchi was arrested for a minor crime and mysteriously found dead during his detention. In one week's time, a family is changed forever.

You Can Count on Me poster
You Can Count on Me
2000 Β· dir. Kenneth Lonergan
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.5dramaParamount+

Common ground: single mother

A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.

Richard Jewell poster
Richard Jewell
2019 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.5drama

Both are built on the same subject: a true story

Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.

The Aviator poster
The Aviator
2004 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.5dramaParamount+

One thread runs through both: biography

A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I Am Sam poster
I Am Sam
2001 Β· dir. Jessie Nelson
πŸ… 35%β˜… 7.6drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.

Men of Honor poster
Men of Honor
2000 Β· dir. George Tillman Jr.
πŸ… 42%β˜… 7.2dramaPrime Video

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Against formidable odds -- and an old-school diving instructor embittered by the U.S. Navy's new, less prejudicial policies -- Carl Brashear sets his sights on becoming the Navy's first African-American master diver in this uplifting true story. Their relationship starts out on the rocks, but fate ultimately conspires to bring the men together into a setting of mutual respect, triumph and honor.

The Son's Room poster
The Son's Room
2001 Β· dir. Nanni Moretti
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3drama

Contemplative drama in both cases

A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba diving accident.

Brainstorm poster
Brainstorm
2001 Β· dir. LaΓ­s Bodanzky
β˜… 7.7drama

Both working the same drama territory

Neto is a middle class teenager living a normal life. After his father finds a marijuana cigarette on his pocket, he is sent to a mental institution, where he gets to know a completely absurd and inhumane reality in which people are devoured by a corrupt and cruel system.

Il Divo poster
Il Divo
2008 Β· dir. Paolo Sorrentino
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.2drama

Drama in the same key

Italy, early '90s. Calm, clever and inscrutable, politician Giulio Andreotti has been synonymous with power for decades. He has survived everything: electoral battles, terrorist massacres, loss of friends, slanderous accusations; but now certain repentant mobsters implicate him in the crimes of Cosa Nostra.

Beautiful Boy poster
Beautiful Boy
2018 Β· dir. Felix van Groeningen
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.4dramaPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: a true story

After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.

Big Eyes poster
Big Eyes
2014 Β· dir. Tim Burton
πŸ… 72%β˜… 6.9dramaStarz

The same drama instincts

In the late 1950s and early '60s, artist Walter Keane achieves unbelievable fame and success with portraits of saucer-eyed waifs. However, no one realizes that his wife, Margaret, is the real painter behind the brush. Although Margaret is horrified to learn that Walter is passing off her work as his own, she is too meek to protest too loudly. It isn't until the Keanes' marriage comes to an end and a lawsuit follows that the truth finally comes to light.

Wild poster
Wild
2014 Β· dir. Jean-Marc VallΓ©e
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.1drama

The drama is handled with the same confidence

A woman with a tragic past decides to start her new life by hiking for one thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Erin Brockovich’s defining feeling.