On the Basis of Sex Movie Review

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

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Written by: Daniel Stiepleman
Directed by: Mimi Leder
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Stephen Root
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Verdict
It falls into a few tropes as this is a movie that's rallying to a victory. It's easy to see the setups and the payoffs to come, but that's inevitable with the genre. The stakes are higher here as this is the struggle for equality. It's a great introduction to the history that will inspire you to dig deeper. At that, it performs very well. It's limited in scope, but anything more would make the movie too long or too dense. The message is important, and this picks the right scope.
Watch It.

Review
This opens with Ruth (Felicity Jones) looking at the Harvard campus in wonder. She's one of the few women in the law school and at least one of her classmates is shocked she's there. The orientation is filled with proclamations about being a "Harvard man." Just when you think this is going for a sublte angle, the speaker states that women are occupying a place at Harvard that could have gone to men. From the start Ruth faces numerous obstacles because she's a woman.

Felicity Jones plays Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Ruth attempts to transfer from Harvard to finish school in the city where her husband works, and the Harvard dean refuses to let her transfer stating her husband can provide. He doesn't think Ruth should have a job outside of the home. Graduating and despite Ruth being top in her class she can't find a job. She's not suited for the job, either too frail or too aggressive depending on the rejections she receives. Men don't want a woman lawyer.

She ends up teaching a class on sex discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of sex is legal. This class seems like the perfect preparation for the case of gender discrimination her husband finds. The kicker is that this case is discrimination against a man. Ruth likes the case, but everyone else sees it as unwinnable.

The defense paints an apocalyptic picture of what equal rights for women would be. It's overly dramatic, but the root is the loss of men's power and control. She faces opposition on all fronts as her colleagues don't think she's up to the task of arguing the case. Throughout the movie she's told to smile more and keep her emotions in check. They're common control phrases men use against women, and Ruth pushes back as she should.

This unfolds like a sports movie because it's a character fighting against the odds. It's Ruth's tenacity and refusal to back down that we know will help her succeed. A victory for this case is a win for her client, but also for her gender. The script picks the perfect arc that fits into a movie, her introduction to law and her first big case. Anything more would be too cumbersome. This ends on a great note.