Erin Brockovich / My Best Friend's Wedding / Steel Magnolia...

ERIN BROCKOVICH

Julia Roberts earned an Oscar in this unconventional drama based on actual events for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, 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 (Albert Finney) and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING

Food writer Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) panics when she receives word that her longtime platonic pal, Michael (Dermot Mulroney), is finally getting hitched, to a debutante named Kimberly (Cameron Diaz). Realizing her true feelings for Michael, Julianne enlists assistance from her gay companion (Rupert Everett) and sets out to sabotage the wedding, making a last-minute play for her man -- to the rhythm of Burt Bacharach tunes.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Sally Field and Oscar nominee Julia Roberts star as mother-daughter duo M'Lynn and Shelby, part of a tight-knit circle of Louisiana women whose lives intersect at Truvy's (Dolly Parton) beauty salon, in this character-driven drama rife with both laughter and tears. Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) and Annelle (Daryl Hannah) round out the group that proves that with friends, you can survive anything.

STEPMOM

As Anna and Ben struggle just to cope with their parents' divorce, a new woman enters their father's (Ed Harris) life. Isabel (Julia Roberts), a successful photographer, doesn't plan to give up her career to raise another woman's kids. Jackie (Susan Sarandon) is the dedicated mother who deems Isabel unfit to raise her children. But the chasm between them becomes meaningless when Jackie's diagnosed with cancer and they all have to pull together.