RBG

RBG

Starring Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Directed by Julie Cohen & Betsy West

The Story:
"RBG" is a documentary that follows the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who went from a law professor during a time where women weren't normally allowed jobs like that to becoming a justice on the Supreme Court.  The film delves into her history of growing up and attending college where she was just one of nine females against over a hundred men, and profiles the important cases she pleaded before the Court in favor of gender equality, to profiling the surprising effect she's had on today's generation.

The Synopsis:
Many times, truth is much more fascinating than fiction.  There's been countless movies and shows about superheroes and larger-than-life people who've saved the day and made an eternal impact, but hearing the story of a real-life hero like Ruth Bader Ginsberg is more inspiring because it's true, and shows us the power of perseverance and the strength to buck the system and not settle for the status quo.

Growing up, Ruth Bader Ginsberg had an uphill battle from the start.  She attended Cornell University, Harvard Law, and Columbia University when it was almost unheard of for a woman to attend.  She met the love of her life Marty, who remained supportive and loving until his death in 2010, serving as an equal to her personality.  In the 60s and 70s she argued six cases at the Supreme Court - winning five of them - that focused on gender equality for both men and women, in a time where the Court was all-male, and where gender discrimination ran rampant.  Not only did she defend women (including housing discrimination against a female U.S. Air Force employee), but also men as well - the case of a man who was denied Social Security claims after his wife died was Ginsberg's most important and memorable case.

Eventually, Ginsberg found favor with President Jimmy Carter, who put her on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, before President Bill Clinton nominated her for the Supreme Court - in which she was confirmed by an almost-unheard of vote of 96-3.  She went on to be known as the major dissenter on the Court, offering dissenting opinions on a number of cases that didn't fall her way due to a more conservative-leaning Court.

Eventually she rose to popular dominance in today's world, her image providing a load of Internet memes, t-shirts, and mugs, and earning herself the title of the Notorious R.B.G. (named after the rapper Notorious B.I.G., which Ginsberg herself made light of by insisting they both had a lot in common).  This fragile-looking, tiny, quiet woman managed to change the landscape for women in America, and somehow has now become a media icon and role model for today's generation of girls who see her as a pioneer for women's rights.

The film not only focuses on her cases, but her private life as well.  We see her relationship with her husband through the years, showing them as the perfect couple who worked perfectly together, who supported each other but never tried to roll over the other.  We see her love for the opera, her unlikely friendship with the late Antonin Scalia, and her appreciation for the arts.

Obviously, this film is a fluff piece that showcases the best Ginsberg has to offer, and doesn't really hint at anyone who opposed her.  Even the Republican politicians they chose to film praised her despite their differing ideologies.  It would've been interesting to see dissenting opinions on the great dissenter, but as it was, it showed that one woman can really change the course of the future.

The Summary:
While it offers only the positive aspects of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, there's no denying that her affect on history will be immortalized forever, paving the way for women's rights and equality that might've never happened without her strong presence.

The Score: A