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One Movie Punch


Jul 19, 2018

Welcome back to Documentary Thursdays!

We did it! We’ve reached 200 episodes and I don’t think I could have picked a better film to review. Thank you all for your support since we launched at the beginning of the year. I had just a few doubts that anyone was listening, but I know you are. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast as much as I’ve enjoyed making it, let us know on social media by wishing us a Happy 200th Episode.

And now...

Today’s movie is “RBG” (2018), the CNN Films documentary directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. The documentary follows the beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, aka RBG, aka The Notorious R.B.G., one of the strongest voices on the Supreme Court. The film follows her life, career, and impact on politics and society. I want to talk about this film in the context of three other films I’ve reviewed this year, all of which relate directly to various parts of RBG’s life. I’m also a little nervous writing this review because Julie Cohen followed the podcast on Twitter. I hope I do your film justice.

Spoilers ahead.

“RBG” opens up with Ginsburg’s desire to attend law school, which even in the 1950s, was rife with either sexism or novelty. Earlier this year I reviewed “Ann Carver’s Profession” (1933) (Episode #159), which was only the second film to feature a female lawyer. It seems eerily similar to RBG’s life, with Ann Carver going into law with the same social minimizing about her desires, and with the same social disapproval of her success. But unlike Ann Carver, who won her cases using pomp and circumstance, RBG won with insightful reasoning and a desire to fulfill the potential written into the founding documents of the country. And instead of Ann Carver’s husband and society basically convincing her she’d be happier as a wife and mother, RBG continues to push through school and when her star is on the rise, Marty (Ruth’s spouse) does the right thing to support her efforts and becomes a homemaker. Ginsburg’s life is exactly how I had wished Ann Carver’s life would go, but clearly in 1933 we weren’t ready for it, and by we, I mean privileged (and fragile) white males as a whole.

It’s not enough to be an exceptional lawyer or judge, however. We have plenty of them in society, more than a few of which have made quite comfortable lives for themselves performing what should be tantamount to a civic duty. What makes RBG special in her career as a lawyer was fighting against sex discrimination written into the law, with the overriding idea that sex discrimination doesn’t just hurt women, but also men. I’m by no means making a false equivalency, of course, as sex discrimination still disproportionately affects women, and more so for women of color. I remember watching “Mercury 13” (Episode #116) also this year, showing how women were completely shut out from training to be astronauts, much like their exclusion from receiving housing allowances in the Air Force or entry into the Virginia Military Institute, even if they could meet the same physical requirements. Each case she either presented or judged helped to reduce this discrimination in substantial ways, even if we still have a long way to go.

In 1990, Ginsburg moved to the other side of the bench, but her amazing work inspired many other lawyers to continue the fight, like Gloria Allred, whose life you can check out in “Seeing Allred” (Episode #041). RBG was never as bombastic as Gloria Allred, by any means, but that never meant she could be ignored. Both as a lawyer and a judge, Ginsburg continued to issue arguments and opinions showing her immense understanding of the law. One of my favorite parts of this documentary was the use of visual text to help emphasize Ginsburg’s words, cramming a lot of dense material into a visual medium. If there’s any criticism about this film, it is that there is very little new information for long-time fans of RBG, and perhaps too little about the need for her to continue on the court as long as possible given the current political climate. I also couldn’t care less about her friendship with Justice Scalia, who is perhaps one of the most vile men to ever sit the bench despite the media’s love affair with his career. Sure, it’s important to show how professional and collegial RBG can be, but I don’t think it adds much to her legacy, and quite frankly, does a lot more for Scalia.

“RBG” (2018) is a wonderful documentary about an amazing woman, whose lifelong efforts to reduce sex discrimination in all its forms is a testament to the promise (and for the remaining codified discrimination, our failures) as a country. Julie Cohen and Betsy West deliver a pretty standard, chronological look at one of the most important justices to ever be appointed to the judiciary, and this film serves as a great introduction to Ruth Bader Ginsburg to those who many only know her from memes and corporate news. If you love RBG, or you want to learn more about RBG, I can think of nowhere better to start.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 72

One Movie Punch: 8.8/10

“RBG” (2018) is rated PG and is currently playing in theaters.