RBG (2018)

June 4, 2018 6:33 PM

At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior's rise to the nation's highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans - until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg 's exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films.
posted by jacquilynne (8 comments total)

I just saw this, nd I cried, like a lot, both when she was reading lines from her judgements and when her husband died. The audience in the Canadian theatre where I saw it burst into cheering and applause on occasion because RBG is so amazing.

I mean, as a film, it's kind of average but RBG herself is tremendous, so the fact that as a movie it's pretty much just, you know, fine, is totally irrelevant. It throws up a bunch of stuff you wanted to know about RBG, including a tour of her collar collection, and some choice quotes from her cases. It doesn't really get into anything critical (Kelo v. New London, anyone?) except a bit about her comments on Trump that anyone who is seeing this movie is not going to find objectionable anyway.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:41 PM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Note that one of her 1st cases made things easier for stay at home fathers.

I loved how she giggled at the SNL parodies.
posted by brujita at 8:35 PM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

I got a lump in my throat several times, but I think the only time a tear fully slipped by was when they showed the female VMI student (was she the very first? at least one of the first...I don't remember exactly) in the crowd watching RBG speak there recently. And yes, it was hard to keep it together when they were discussing her husband in the later years.
posted by doctornecessiter at 9:19 AM on June 5, 2018

I Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Workout. It Nearly Broke Me.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2018

Oh I 100% teared up at the entire VMI portion, that was very moving. Also when they were discussing her husband's support for her Supreme Court candidacy. He seemed so in awe of her, and so supportive. I would love to know more about the division of emotional labour in their relationship, because from what little we saw it seemed very progressive and enabled RBG to devote herself to her work.

It was also a very, overall, sad movie to me. It seems like she accomplished many legal and political victories in the 70s through the 90s and then has had to watch (and dissent) as many rights she (and many many others) hold dear have been stripped away piece-by-piece.
posted by hepta at 10:24 AM on June 5, 2018

I've seen these everywhere it's been screening.
posted by brujita at 7:55 PM on June 5, 2018

Boo! We didn't get one of those standups at our local rep theatre. Now I'm jealous!
posted by jacquilynne at 8:30 PM on June 5, 2018

Just came back from seeing this. Was sniffly through the whole thing. I just so need to be inspired by that generation because I feel so betrayed by them. I feel they have betrayed my daughter. I enjoyed it very much and loved the amount of Nina Totenberg that was in it, too.
posted by amanda at 2:25 PM on August 30, 2018