Movie Review: 'RBG' offers a softer, less "notorious" side of noted SCOTUS justice

Family time between Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her granddaughter in a scene from 'RBG.' 

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

RBG (2018, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen. USA, English, Color, 97 minutes) I had only seen Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once in person. It was during a session of the Supreme Court in May 2017 and I was gitty sitting from the press box anticipating her entrance from the black curtains all of the justices appear from to take their seats for the day's events. I eventually saw her from her seat a good 50 feet away. She wouldn't have known me from a can of paint, but knowing I was in her presence was just as exciting as fans who get to see her speak during official visits to universities and other institutions. 

United States Supreme Court justices are not thought of as celebrities. Hell, not even a majority of people even remember that the Supreme Court is part of the judicial branch of the federal government, or even know some of its basic functions in rendering decisions. I'm sure the Supreme Court comes off to many as an institution that appears to work like the wizard behind the curtain, an unknown identity whose main job is to divide the country on topics like abortion, naming a president and ruling on same-sex marriage. Obviously, the scope of their work goes beyond these socially volatile areas, but how many know that?

And then comes along Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 85-year-old Brooklynite who has been given "notorious" distinction, a nod to the rapper Notorious BIG, for her legal persona that demands social justice for all and who is not afraid to admit that drinking a little too much wine has caused her to fall asleep during the president's State of the Union addresses. She hasn't missed a day on the bench through two different bouts of cancer and the passing of her husband. Her candid reflections of those events prove she's the OG of the court. Ginsburg's the focus of many fan-based books, websites, clothing merchandise, tattoos and as a wild interpretation of being a party animal by Kate McKinnon on "Saturday Night Live." An official documentary on her life seemed inevitable.


Most of what appears in the documentary was nothing terribly new to me (I'm an RGB fan). There is no denying how important her contributions have been to the social landscape. Of the cases she successfully argued before the Supreme Court included decisions that extended social security widows benefits to men, federal housing allowances for women who serve in the military and the right of women to administer a descendant's estate. On the court she wrote the majority opinion that allowed women to attend the Virginia Military Institute, signed on to the majority in the same-sex marriage cases and wrote the minority opinion in the Lily Ledbetter pay discrimination suit - which was resolved by Congress two years after the court's decision. 

So how did someone with this pedigree become a celebrity? Who knows. How do some people become famous by today's definitions of "popular" and socially "relevant" (e.g., the Kardashians, Logan Paul, etc.)? That is not a question the film asks, nor is it important. This film looks at why she is socially relevant, for reasons far better than those of YouTube and social media personalities. She didn't have to reach for fans, they came to her, and they're a younger, more involved base than she could have expected. It says a lot about our country that our interests can be so vast as to think that a Supreme Court justice can be cool. This is a testament that there is still an appreciation for intellect in this world dominated by over-consumption of brain dead ideas that are repeatedly chewed up and spit out into the form of barely acceptable baby food mash.


"RBG" is a very light documentary that steadily tracks Ginsburg's career from law student, to pioneering figure of the gender equality movement in the 1970's, to her appointment to the high court by President Bill Clinton, only the second woman of, then, 106 justices that have come before her. But beyond the layers of noted breakthroughs in interpreting laws Ginsburg was a mother of two with her husband of over 50 years, Marty, a noted tax lawyer. Marty was known as the humorous, "good cop" of the two while Ruth was more of the reserved, "bad cop" in parenting styles. The dynamic between these two is a beautiful soft spot to the film. It takes a break from the uphill battles of sex discrimination that Ginsburg fought for to show that she is a person, too. Conversations about her husband with her granddaughter and other family members show that Ginsburg is more than a judge with a lace collar on her robe. She cries when she reads the last letter Marty wrote to her. 

There's only so much one can see about Ginsburg in the number of university visit speeches she has made over the years. "RBG" shows her in less judicial arenas like at her home, The Kennedy Center or touring an Indian Reservation. There was not enough of this footage to provide a more intimate look at this peculiarly popular character in the judicial system. Whatever the reason for that, it only provides a well-made visual essay that may accompany a biography of her.

The biggest take away about "RBG" is that the social impact of this go-getting jurist will renew faith that young girls can strive to be whomever they want. It also proves that all persons are equal under law. Most importantly, for women especially, you can do it all without fear of being put down by colleagues and people who appear to wield more power than you. Being smart is a great quality; proving that at 85 in the highest legal capacity in the land is nothing short of encouraging. "Of course I prefer to be in the majority," she says at one point in the film, "but, if necessary, I will write separately in dissent." This is a perfect quote to encapsulate the strong social message that resonates throughout the film. 

Rating: B

"RBG" opens in Philadelphia at the Ritz Five on May 11.