Citizen Ruth (1996)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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

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:

Spoofs Citizen Kane (1941)

A fun satirization of the life-choice controversy

The title character of "Citizen Ruth" (Dern), an indigent and pregnant fume-head with a potty mouth and bad attitude, finds herself the unwitting cause of a clash of pro-choice and pro-abortion activists in this bitingly satirical look at the abortion issue in America. Dern makes an excellent centerpiece for this award winning comedy which mocks both sides of the life/choice controversy with a vanguard of comic stereotypes. "CR" should be an enjoyable and fun watch for those mature enough for strong language and not so brittle as to personalize the issues involved.