Citizen Ruth

The divisive issue of abortion is at the center of Citizen Ruth, a political satire that attempts to subject both pro-choice and pro-life forces to equal ridicule. Laura Dern portrays Ruth Stoops, an irresponsible, unemployed woman who's addicted to inhaling household chemicals and has becomes ...more

Although little-seen, Citizen Ruth introduced the film world to one of its best new satirists: director Alexander Payne, whose follow-up, Election (1999), won raves for skewering high school politics (indeed, the entire American political system) with dead-on finesse. No less ambitious in his debut, Payne goes after the abortion debate with rawness and vigor, shrewdly refusing to favor either camp. Instead, he exposes the transparent agendas of both sides, getting terrific help from Laura Dern, ...more