Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
In this age of political turmoil, it is clear that whenever there's a political issue going around. It's always the person in the middle that becomes the real victim. Most recently, Americans were divided over the issue of euthanasia concerning Terri Schivo where it was once a personal and private matter then became a national discussion that involved celebrities. Not surprisingly, Trey Parker & Matt Stone of the cartoon show South Park chose to satire that issue ridiculing both sides on the issue. Whatever political issue would come around, both sides would fight and it no longer becomes what it is really about. Abortion is one of those issues that is often debated. In 1996, a little film called Citizen Ruth. about the fight over abortion came into the world not in the most realistic way but with a weird sense of humor that marked the debut of one of American cinema's most prominent film voices, Alexander Payne.
Alexander Payne was an unknown filmmaker from Nebraska who had recently done short films and a short segment for a Playboy special came into his own 1996 with this hilarious satire about a spray-paint sniffing woman who is caught in the middle of an abortion debate. Written by Payne and longtime writing partner Jim Taylor, Citizen Ruth is a comedy that not only ridicules both political sides of the issue but shows the absurdity of humanity all because of one screwed up, dim-witted, drug addicted woman named Ruth played by Laura Dern. With a cast that includes Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith, Alicia Witt, Swoozie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, M.C. Gainey, David Graff, Tippi Hendren, Dern's real-life mom Diane Ladd, and Burt Reynolds. Citizen Ruth is a funny, smart comedy about a political debate that goes terribly wrong.
To a small town in the Midwest, Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) is known as simply an irresponsible, unemployed loser who often gets in trouble for sniffing spray paint. After getting kicked out by her lover, Ruth stops by at a house where her sister lived along with two of Ruth's children. After given money by her brother-in-law, Ruth used the money to buy booze and spray paint where she got in trouble for inhaling it in a bag. After being arrested, Ruth learned that she is pregnant for the fifth time and Judge Richter (David Graf) has no choice but to put her in jail for endangering her unborn child. After the trial, Richter offers Ruth a deal to lessen the charges if she had an abortion. In jail deciding, Ruth runs into a group of conservative, pro-life Christians led by Gail Stoney (Mary Kay Place) as she and friend Diane Siegler (Swoozie Kurtz) has been released while Gail convinces her husband Norm (Kurtwood Smith) to bail Ruth out.
The Stoney family takes Ruth in as Gail introduces her to her miracle child Matthew (Sebastian Anzaldo III) while swaying her from her rebellious, heavy-metal daughter Cheryl (Alicia Witt). Learning of Ruth's plight and Richter’s suggestion to give her an abortion, Norm, who is the local head of a national anti-abortion group called Baby Savers decides to make her case known to the public. Ruth at first feels thankful for the Stoney family to take her in while sneaking out to huff spray paint with Cheryl secretly on one night. After meeting with Dr. Rollins (Kenneth Mars) and a nurse (Joan Hennecke) about an abortion, Rollins tries to claim that abortion is a new form of the Holocaust.
Ruth becomes more confused as she finds herself being part of another anti-abortion protest led by Norm, Gail, and Diane against the abortion clinic's guard Harlan (M.C. Gainey). Ruth learns that Norm went to the press but refused to do interviews as she stays in their card, only to find a real estate cassette and money so she can drink and sniff Matthew's model glue where Matthew catches her. Norm is upset that Ruth continues to do drugs as Diane decides to take her in. When Ruth arrives at Diane's farm, she learns that underneath the blond wig and big glasses is a red head with perfect vision, liberal mind, and a lesbian lover named Rachel (Kelly Preston).
Diane had been a spy as she takes Ruth in to tell her that it's her choice to have an abortion or not. Gail calls Diane about Ruth's plight that's on TV as Ruth learns of Gail's deception and rats out Diane. Norm and Gail drive to Diane's farm to get Ruth back only to learn about Diane as they try to make another protest leading them to be defeated but not out. The next morning, Norm calls in a national alert for the entire Baby Savers group as Ruth's case becomes a national event. This only makes Diane's plan and organization worse as she calls in Harlan for help while they learn that Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hendren) is going to counterattack in a few days. The Baby Savers group goes on the offense by making a donation where they plan to give Ruth $15,000 to keep her baby. Ruth at first wants the offer but Diane knows that it's a trick as Harlan gives her $15,000 from his Agent Orange settlement to give Ruth a choice.
With Baby Savers leader Blaine Gibbons (Burt Reynolds) arriving with his adopted son Eric (Jeremy Sczepaniak), all hell breaks loose as the Baby Savers gathering in front of Diane's house becomes mayhem with Ruth's mother (Diane Ladd) involved as well. Ruth unsure of what to do, is in the middle of all of this while her own future is in question. With Jessica Weiss planning to arrive, the showdown between pro-lifers and pro-choice advocates becomes more intense with Ruth stuck in the middle.
While films about political issues tend to tread into treacherous waters, what Alexander Payne does is find humor in these issues. While he is known as a liberal, Payne decides to go into neither side and make fun of both sides. Where he and co-writer Jim Taylor decide to paint the Baby Savers as a bunch of hypocritical, bland folks with a leader who likes to be massaged by his adopted son. The pro-choice advocates are seen as a bunch of kooky hippies. The genius of the film is in the screenplay and Payne's solid direction where both sides do have their points but the story is really about one woman and her own decision. The film does have an ending that will upset many not because of her choice but its unconventional approach, especially the fact that she's a very self-destructive, unemployed, and somewhat idiotic woman who doesn't know what to do. It's a satire film that doesn't try to play it safe and the result shows the brilliance of commentary that Payne and Taylor have in their subject matters.
If Payne and Taylor's script is well-written, so does Payne’s directing style and location choices where he chooses a rural, American landscape of his home state of Nebraska along with parts of Iowa. With cinematographer James Glennon, Payne goes for a somewhat gray, bleak outlook of Middle American culture with its small towns, poor houses in the ghetto to the more clean suburban outlook thanks to Glennon's grayish cinematography and the detailed production design of longtime Payne cohort Jane Ann Stewart. The film also includes some masterful and stylized editing from longtime editor Kevin Tent who utilizes a smart, playful approach to his editing that makes the film leisurely placed. Then there's the plaintive score of Rolfe Kent who brings in some fantastic orchestral pieces that plays to Tent's editing paces with a touch of jazz rhythms is familiar with many of Payne's films.
Part of the genius of Citizen Ruth is in its casting and all of the film's supporting cast plays their part with great hilarity and satire. While small performances from David Graff, Alicia Witt, Jeremy Sczepaniak, Kenneth Mars, Joan Hennecke, and Sebastian Anzaldo III are memorable, one of the funniest cameos comes from Dern's real-life mom and actress Diane Ladd in a hilarious dialogue confrontation between her and her daughter. Tippi Hendren is excellent in her brief performance as pro-choice leader Jessica Weiss while Burt Reynolds is extremely hilarious as the Baby Savers leader with his bad wig and conservative views that are out there, especially in a scene where he's topless.
Kurtwood Smith and Mary Kay Place also bring humor to their ultra-conservative caricatures while Place does write some of the film's original songs with Payne & Taylor that are downright funny and spiritual. Kelly Preston is also funny as Kurtz's lesbian lover with a kooky affinity for hippie songs about the moon. M.C. Gainey also shines as sleazy Harlan with his radical views on politics while Swoozie Kurtz pulls double duty as Diane with her high-pitch voice as the conservative Diane with the more stern, funny tone of the ultra-liberal Diane.
Laura Dern is the real stare of the film with her complex and hilarious performance as the film's title character. Dern doesn't make her character totally likeable despite her self-destructive behavior but her comedic antics are just so wonderful to watch. Dern makes her character a bit of an idiot but not a total idiot, especially when she thinks about her plans for her money while we sympathize with her about her knowledge as being the center of a huge political debate. Dern's performance is truly the spark that drives the film.
When Citizen Ruth was released in 1996 at Sundance, the film drew several excellent reviews from critics but took a long time to release within the year. At the time, a comedy about abortion seemed to be the wrong thing to release but it did gain attention for Alexander Payne and his team. Seeing this film now, especially with the recent euthanasia debate over Terri Schivo, the film in some ways was ahead of its time over the absurdity and carelessness political groups have. While the more liberal group in Citizen Ruth knows that it's a private matter, they too go a bit overboard with their issues.
Citizen Ruth is one of the reasons why Alexander Payne is considered to be one of American cinema's leading voice, because of his subject matters and approach to satire. The acclaim of Citizen Ruth would lead him to direct the high school election satire of Election in 1999 that somewhat parallels are own electoral ideals and scandals. Payne's films are very American for their subject matters whether it's the satire of Citizen Ruth and Election, the discussion of ageism and value of life in About Schmidt, to his recent, Oscar-award winning view of a man's depression and affinity for wine in Sideways. It's clear that after four films, Payne is likely to become the one true American director that sees things in a realistic and funny way. Another thing that makes Payne's film so unique is that each of the central protagonists are loveable, flawed losers we can root for.
Citizen Ruth isn't a bad place to start when it comes to the works of Alexander Payne though Election seems like the better introduction. Fans of Payne will find this as a great debut though for those serious about the issue of abortion will find this film to be very offensive. With a great cast led by Laura Dern, Citizen Ruth is a winner for its witty satire and realistic views on politics as it stands as a fine debut for Alexander Payne and company.
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