By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 9, unless otherwise noted: On the Basis of Sex (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2018, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, language, suggestive content The lowdown: The opening shots of “On the Basis of Sex” focus on a sea of men’s shoes walking toward an academic building at Harvard Law School in the mid-1950s. Suddenly, a lone pair of high heels appears among the shoes, standing out like an oasis in a desert. Wearing those shoes is law student Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), who is wanting to enter a door that usually proclaims, “Men Only.” “On the Basis of Sex,” directed by Mimi Leder and written by Daniel Stiepleman, looks at the early career and social trials Ginsburg faced as well as the groundbreaking case she brought with her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer), to the U.S. Court of Appeals that tested more than a century of gender discrimination. And while the movie is inspirational and a tribute to the current Supreme Court justice, it uses an approach that views the overwhelming majority of men then as condescending assholes who wish to maintain the professional status quo and discourage women from practicing law. This attitude, as factual as it may be — though I suspect it has been heightened for dramatic purposes — seems to undercut Ginsburg’s legal legacy. In no way is this meant to diminish the obstacles Ginsburg faced, but the movie greatly tips the scales of justice in her favor. It seems that the stereotypical individuals portrayed by Sam Waterston as one of Ginsburg’s professors and, later, as the nation’s Solicitor General, and Stephen Root as Brown, another of Ginsburg’s professors — and their one-dimensional characterizations — make those who scorned Ginsburg’s legal acumen too easy to overcome. Still, it would have made “On the Basis of Sex” a stronger movie if most of the male opposition was not presented as buffoons, who focused more on Ginsburg’s rise in the legal community than the law. The movie would have benefited from a bit more emphasis on Ginsburg’s ability to convey her knowledge and teaching of the law to a new generation of students — mostly female — during her tenure at Rutgers University. The movie’s major flaw is that it hews too close to the conventional tropes of the biopic genre; instead, it should be as groundbreaking as its subject. The film seems content to merely gloss over her life and career until it reaches the pivotal case that has defined Ginsburg. The majority of critics embraced the movie, giving it a 73 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
New to View: April 9
New to View: April 9
New to View: April 9
By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 9, unless otherwise noted: On the Basis of Sex (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2018, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, language, suggestive content The lowdown: The opening shots of “On the Basis of Sex” focus on a sea of men’s shoes walking toward an academic building at Harvard Law School in the mid-1950s. Suddenly, a lone pair of high heels appears among the shoes, standing out like an oasis in a desert. Wearing those shoes is law student Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), who is wanting to enter a door that usually proclaims, “Men Only.” “On the Basis of Sex,” directed by Mimi Leder and written by Daniel Stiepleman, looks at the early career and social trials Ginsburg faced as well as the groundbreaking case she brought with her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer), to the U.S. Court of Appeals that tested more than a century of gender discrimination. And while the movie is inspirational and a tribute to the current Supreme Court justice, it uses an approach that views the overwhelming majority of men then as condescending assholes who wish to maintain the professional status quo and discourage women from practicing law. This attitude, as factual as it may be — though I suspect it has been heightened for dramatic purposes — seems to undercut Ginsburg’s legal legacy. In no way is this meant to diminish the obstacles Ginsburg faced, but the movie greatly tips the scales of justice in her favor. It seems that the stereotypical individuals portrayed by Sam Waterston as one of Ginsburg’s professors and, later, as the nation’s Solicitor General, and Stephen Root as Brown, another of Ginsburg’s professors — and their one-dimensional characterizations — make those who scorned Ginsburg’s legal acumen too easy to overcome. Still, it would have made “On the Basis of Sex” a stronger movie if most of the male opposition was not presented as buffoons, who focused more on Ginsburg’s rise in the legal community than the law. The movie would have benefited from a bit more emphasis on Ginsburg’s ability to convey her knowledge and teaching of the law to a new generation of students — mostly female — during her tenure at Rutgers University. The movie’s major flaw is that it hews too close to the conventional tropes of the biopic genre; instead, it should be as groundbreaking as its subject. The film seems content to merely gloss over her life and career until it reaches the pivotal case that has defined Ginsburg. The majority of critics embraced the movie, giving it a 73 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.