RBG       5 stars

It has been an unusual summer for the movie box office as documentaries about people like Fred Rogers and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have received a lot of attention.  RBG is a biopic about the 84 year old Ginsburg, one of the most influential Supreme Court justices in recent years.  Some of the movie is about how she has become a symbol of resistance for many of the Millennial generation.  But mostly it is about how she went from a young married law student to an advocate for women’s rights under the law.  It shows how as a young law school graduate she was denied any job for the large law firms in New York simply because she is a woman.  We see how she made effective arguments in front of the Supreme Court that led to a remarkable record.  Many scenes are prefaced by her Senate confirmation hearings as a Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court then shifts to cases that made her a stalwart of the liberal dissent on a variety of decisions.  But it doesn’t focus just on her career as it gives us insights into her intellect and the ways she likes to spend her time.  The film stays interesting throughout as the filmmakers find interesting ways to show us her fame, but still focus on her quiet demeanor.  It even finds time to feature clips of Kate McKinnon’s uproarious impressions of her on Saturday Night Live.  I look for this film along with that of Fred Rogers to receive nominations as Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.  You should definitely take the opportunity to see RBG as soon as you can.