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Citizen Ruth

Play trailer Poster for Citizen Ruth R Released Dec 13, 1996 1h 44m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Citizen Ruth is the story of Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern), a woman who nobody even noticed -- until she got pregnant. Now, everyone wants a piece of her. The film is a comedy about one woman caught in the ultimate tug-of-war: a clash of wild, noisy, ridiculous people that rapidly dissolves into a media circus.
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Citizen Ruth

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Critics Consensus

Smart and sharply funny, Citizen Ruth is an entertaining look at a tough subject -- and an impressive calling card for debuting director/co-writer Alexander Payne.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2/4 Apr 12, 2002 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Rated: 1/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Tomas Hachard Esquire Magazine The movie's most charming characteristic is, in fact, its irreverence: It bears the tell-tale signs of a young director taking aim at, and then laughing off, the absurdities of the world he grew up in. Oct 17, 2018 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Uncharacteristically of Payne, the film lacks a sharp point of view, unfloding as a series of gigs (some quite funny), trying to be too fair--for a satire--to both sides of the abortion issue. Rated: 3/5 Jun 1, 2006 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 4/5 Jan 6, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jorge C Jamás pense ver a Laura Dern de esa manera. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/12/24 Full Review Audience Member A movie about a woman who struggles with addiction and just found to be pregnant in a small town. She faces the conflicting pressures between pro life and pro choice groups. The movie chooses to sit in between these two movements, and in a satirical way, equating them. It's full of interesting and quirky characters that brighten the movie. In the end the insinuation that no one really cares about this girl, and likewise she doesn't care about anyone else. The movie is generally flat, perhaps for lacking a string point of view. It's neither here nor there. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Citizen ruthful or ruthless? Laura Dern, the late Burt Reynolds, the late Kelly Preston, and Tippi Hedren in Alexander Payne's directorial debut Dern is Ruth Stoops, a troubled young woman who's had several pregnancies and never claimed any of the children She's been arrested 16 times and her kids were seized each time Her only solace is getting high on spray paint fumes being declared mentally unstable She's very self-destructive to herself and to others Once the court gives her a felony charge endangering her most recent fetus the judge gives her the choice of abortion for a reduced sentence Then it all becomes a tug of war of sorts when Ruth becomes a media sensation; she's caught i between members of pro-choice activism and Evangelicals What makes this interesting is the film being an equal-opportunity offender" film, and why the recent Texas abortion ban lends its fresh relevance Some things are more important than money, sending a message might be bigger than our pride or selfishness, a woman should have her choice to consider, everyone is so caught up in their own horrors, opinions, and judgement Dern gives one of the best performances of her career and there's plenty of black satire When it comes to the ending it's still an on-going debate Yeah the movie lacks a sharp point of view but the viewer can still laugh off taking aim at the subject's irreverence A good but not great start for Alexander Payne taking a bite out of politics Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Pitch perfect satire that leaves no side unscathed. Definitely a prime Female Anxiety Movie. Ruth is caught in the middle of a tug-of-war of lofty ideals, but the movie itself thankfully never abandons her - I felt strangely touched by the scene where she's about to get into the helicopter and then screams at her mother about being molested as a child. It was done as an almost comedy beat but the impact was more of an "oh shit" moment. She's a pretty terrible person but at least she has reasons for it. She's far more realistic than the caricature she's painted by both the freaky fundamentalists and the granola pro-choicers. The only downside to watching this movie is having to sit through the same arguments we've heard ad nauseum for decades. The second the movie hunkers down in the trenches it becomes pretty predictable... which isn't to say it's not enjoyable, but like you just gotta be in the mood to want to get angry about politics if you watch this. Oh and Laura Dern is perfection. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A masterful piece of satire whose specific milieu is the 'abortion wars' , but which could apply to anything in American life these days. Laura Dern gives a fantastically unsympathetic performance as a woman who knows what she wants - and what she wants is drugs. This is the rare comedy that has improved with age. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant director Alexander Payne brings us his first feature film, tackling the very sensitive topic of abortion. As with all his other features, Payne gives us a heavy mix of pitch black humor and social commentary. A young drug addicted woman, played by Laura Dern, discovers that she's pregnant and finds herself being manipulated by both the pro-life and pro-choice people. There's definitely some interesting ideas here. Both sides are equally lampooned and provide plenty of opportunities for some decent humor. With that said however, these ideas don't appear to go much further than a surface level mockery. There's no really deep conversations going on and that's unfortunate considering Payne's other films have a knack for subtle but genuine insight. Now this would be fine if the characters were interesting but this leads to another issue: Laura Dern. For an actress who always turns in such wonderful work, it's a shame that she never quite finds her mark. She goes over the top a little too often and it's never very convincing. Fortunately for her, the supporting players (including Kurtwood Smith and Swoosie Kurtz) pick up the slack and make it work. Citizen Ruth is a mixed bag for sure. It has moments of great comedy and some fun performances, but it never truly reaches its potential. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Citizen Ruth

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Movie Info

Synopsis Citizen Ruth is the story of Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern), a woman who nobody even noticed -- until she got pregnant. Now, everyone wants a piece of her. The film is a comedy about one woman caught in the ultimate tug-of-war: a clash of wild, noisy, ridiculous people that rapidly dissolves into a media circus.
Director
Alexander Payne
Producer
Cathy Konrad, Cary Woods
Screenwriter
Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films
Rating
R (Substance Abuse|Strong Language|Sex Scene)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 13, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$278.5K
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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