If anyone deserved a better biographical treatment, it’s the Supreme Court justice at the center of Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s RBG, which tells the life story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Frustratingly superficial, the documentary leaves you simply wanting to know more about the diminutive, opera-loving 85-year-old. Illustrated with old photos and cursory interviews with a handful of those who’ve known her, it’s a boilerplate portrait that you wish rose above the level of basic hagiography. Still, there’s a bit of enlightenment to be found as the movie follows the transformation of “the notorious RBG” from a feminist lawyer, arguing against gender discrimination before an all-male Supreme Court, to the liberal-leaning dissenter who now sits among them. Unfortunately, other than focusing on her relationship with her late husband, Martin, and her surprising friendship with late right-wing Justice Antonin Scalia, there’s very little you haven’t heard before about the unexpected pop culture icon. The fleeting insights leave you thirsting for more info about the moderate, middle-of-the-road Democrat, whether it’s the 13 years she spent as an appellate judge in federal court or the period leading up to her nomination to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton. If there’s any justice in this world, we’ll get a fuller picture of Ginsburg soon. (At Boston Common, Coolidge Corner and Kendall Square.)
RBG
By Brett Michel | May 31, 2018
RBG ★★ 1/2
If anyone deserved a better biographical treatment, it’s the Supreme Court justice at the center of Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s RBG, which tells the life story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Frustratingly superficial, the documentary leaves you simply wanting to know more about the diminutive, opera-loving 85-year-old. Illustrated with old photos and cursory interviews with a handful of those who’ve known her, it’s a boilerplate portrait that you wish rose above the level of basic hagiography. Still, there’s a bit of enlightenment to be found as the movie follows the transformation of “the notorious RBG” from a feminist lawyer, arguing against gender discrimination before an all-male Supreme Court, to the liberal-leaning dissenter who now sits among them. Unfortunately, other than focusing on her relationship with her late husband, Martin, and her surprising friendship with late right-wing Justice Antonin Scalia, there’s very little you haven’t heard before about the unexpected pop culture icon. The fleeting insights leave you thirsting for more info about the moderate, middle-of-the-road Democrat, whether it’s the 13 years she spent as an appellate judge in federal court or the period leading up to her nomination to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton. If there’s any justice in this world, we’ll get a fuller picture of Ginsburg soon. (At Boston Common, Coolidge Corner and Kendall Square.)
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