Citizen Ruth
1996 · Movie · R · 104 min · ★ 6.6 · 73% critics
"Citizen Ruth" follows a woman who feels invisible—until she becomes pregnant, and suddenly everyone tries to influence her decision. What begins as a tug-of-war between loud, competing groups quickly escalates into a chaotic media spectacle, mixing dark humor with a messy, high-pressure public frenzy.
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Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-11-21
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Critic score
- 73/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (146 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this darkly amusing satire if you want a controversial subject handled with a balancing act and big escalation; Not for you if you prefer straightforward, one-sided arguments or gentler comedies like In the Soup or Election.
Pros: fearless satire; Laura Dern shines; absurdly entertaining | Cons: controversy may divide; depth can feel limited; pacing uneven later
Themes
- judge
- drug addiction
- extremist
- abortion
Cast & crew
Laura Dern
as Ruth Stoops
Swoosie Kurtz
as Diane Siegler
Kurtwood Smith
as Norm Stoney
Mary Kay Place
as Gail Stoney
Kelly Preston
as Rachel
M.C. Gainey
as Harlan
Kenneth Mars
as Dr. Charlie Rollins
David Graf
as Judge Richter
Kathleen Noone
as Nurse Pat
Tippi Hedren
as Jessica Weiss
Directed by Alexander Payne