Movie · 2018 · Documentary · 1h 38m · PG · English
Curator score: 7.0/10 (43.2K ratings)
Hero. Icon. Dissenter.
Overview
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg now 84, and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, Ginsburg refuses to relinquish her passionate duty, steadily fighting for equal rights for all citizens under the law. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access to Ginsburg’s life outside the court, RBG tells the electric story of Ginsburg’s consuming love affairs with both the Constitution and her beloved husband Marty—and of a life’s work that led her to become an icon of justice in the highest court in the land.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.0/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.77/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 71
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Betsy West, Julie Cohen
Production
CNN Films, Storyville Films
Cast
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane C. Ginsburg, James Steven Ginsburg, Nina Totenberg, Clara Spera, Gloria Steinem, Bill Clinton, Sharron Frontiero, Orrin Hatch, Lilly Ledbetter, Stephen Wiesenfeld, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Sandra Day O'Connor, David H. Souter, Clarence Thomas, John Paul Stevens
Where to watch
fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
An accessible, admiring portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that works best as an introduction to her life, legal strategy, and cultural impact. It’s polished, inspiring, and often moving, but it also leans toward hagiography and can feel more like a celebratory profile than a probing documentary.
Best for
viewers looking for an uplifting political biography
people interested in feminism, civil rights, or the Supreme Court
audiences who want a concise, mainstream documentary with a clear hero
fans of inspirational public-figure portraits
Skip if
you want a critical or deeply investigative documentary
you’re allergic to reverential, polished nonfiction filmmaking
you prefer documentaries with more formal experimentation or ambiguity
you already know Ginsburg’s story well and want fresh revelations
Overview
RBG is a crowd-pleasing documentary that turns a towering legal figure into an approachable, even charming screen presence. It traces Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s path from early gender-discrimination cases to her later status as a pop-culture icon, while also emphasizing the marriage and partnership that shaped her life outside the court.
Worth noting
The film is strongest when it explains her legal philosophy and the practical, incremental strategy behind her landmark work. Those sections give the documentary real substance and help distinguish her from a generic inspirational subject.
Bottom line
Still, the film’s admiration sometimes smooths away complexity. It is polished and effective, but it rarely challenges its subject or its audience, so the result is more celebratory primer than searching portrait.
Top Letterboxd reviews
lauren (4.5★) · 245 likes
your wcw regularly exercises, loved her husband with all her heart, enjoys the opera and is jewish. i didn’t say her name but you thought of her, supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg
Will Sloan (2★) · 181 likes
Textureless hagiography with a handful of semi-interesting moments about RBG's judicial philosophy and early work advocating for women's rights as a lawyer in the '70s and '80s, and a million boring stretches about her love of opera and her beautiful friendship with Antonin Scalia. Cannot decide whether RBG is a canny pragmatist or a liberal firebrand, and so instead decides that these two things are the same. Climaxes with a section about how her fiery dissents led to an online… more Textureless hagiography with a handful of semi-interesting moments about RBG's judicial philosophy and early work advocating for women's rights as a lawyer in the '70s and '80s, and a million boring stretches about her love of opera and her beautiful friendship with Antonin Scalia. Cannot decide whether RBG is a canny pragmatist or a liberal firebrand, and so instead decides that these two things are the same. Climaxes with a section about how her fiery dissents led to an online… more
Allison M. 🌱 (4.5★) · 148 likes
A must for anyone who is even remotely concerned about equality. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a Supreme Court Justice that has fought for women and men’s rights from the early days in her career. The documentary is well-balanced, entertaining, and thorough.
Me 25 minutes into the documentary: I think I should go to law school. RBG is in her 80s, so even with a late start, I could really do some good.
Me after hearing how she worked until 3… more
fran hoepfner (2★) · 142 likes
very fine but I do not think audiences need to be subjected to footage of Colin Jost
witch (5★) · 127 likes
If RBG can’t cook then I don’t see why I have to learn!! #rolemodel