Citizen Ruth (1996)

Director:

Alexander Payne

Writers (WGA):

Alexander Payne (written by) &
Jim Taylor (written by)

Release Date:

13 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Life, liberty, money and the pursuit of happiness. She's gotta have it.

Plot:

An irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.

Plot Keywords:

Abortion | Prayer | Lesbian | Satire | Huffing

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Laura Dern	...	Ruth Stoops
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Diane Siegler
Kurtwood Smith	...	Norm Stoney
Mary Kay Place	...	Gail Stoney
Kelly Preston	...	Rachel
M.C. Gainey	...	Harlan
Kenneth Mars	...	Dr. Charlie Rollins
David Graf	...	Judge Richter
Kathleen Noone	...	Nurse Pat
Tippi Hedren	...	Jessica Weiss
Burt Reynolds	...	Blaine Gibbons
Lance Rome	...	Ricky, Ruth's Lover
Jim Kalal	...	Tony Stoops
Shea Degan	...	Arresting Officer
Vince Morelli	...	Dr. George

Also Known As:

Meet Ruth Stoops
Precious (USA) (working title)
The Devil Inside (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for substance abuse, strong language and a sex scene.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:MA | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

3216 1st Avenue, Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA

Company:

Independent Pictures (II)

Trivia:

The "ASK ME" pin worn by Kurtwood Smith in the hardware store shows up again in Alexander Payne's following film, Election (1999).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Ruth is going out to party with her host family's daughter, she takes a hit from a bong, but does so incorrectly, not clearing the smoke from the chamber.

Quotes:

Woman: We took the kids to Florida and stopped in Virginia to see the "Tomb of the Unborn Baby".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

A Very Acid Social Criticism of the American Society Hypocrisy Regarding the Abortion Theme

Ruth (Laura Dern) is a young homeless glue-addicted street junkie, who is arrested again completely doped. The justice realizes that she is pregnant for the fifth time, and the judge offers her the option of an abortion. Ruth is released under the custody of a family and sooner she is involved in a pro-choice vs. pro-life (called 'The Babysavers') dispute. This is the first time I have seen this movie and it is a very acid social criticism of the American society hypocrisy regarding the abortion theme. The story does not spare any side, showing hypocrites persons on both sides. The pro-life are showed as religious fanatics and narrow-minded persons, the deranged family who lodges Ruth has a the father with sexual attraction in Laura and the mother a fanatic who does not see the behavior of her own daughter. The pro-choice group is showed as homosexual, but also faking a situation. In common, all of them are radicals hypocrites. And Ruth indeed is not caring whether she is going to have her fifth baby or not, abusing of drugs and alcohol and only interested in the money offered by both sides. And the rights of the citizen Ruth is the less important issue for both sides. Laura Dern has one of her best interpretations and in the very beginning of the movie, I did not recognize her. I believe she was not indicated for an Oscar due to the polemic theme of abortion. The performance of the cast and the direction are also excellent. My vote is seven, but maybe this movie deserves a better ranking after watching it for the second time.

Title (Brazil): 'Ruth em Questão' (Ruth in Question')