First movie of 2019! And oh boy did it start out with a bang.
The film follows Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the Notorious RBG and then future supreme court justice, as she gets her start. Beginning with law school, then her first big case hoping to tear down the patriarchy and outlaw gender discrimination, it’s a film that many are comparing to a superhero origin story. And rightly so.
For me, this film felt as riveting as any action movie. It’s funny, cause the day before I saw Vice, and was so disgusted by what I saw. It made me hate politics and the corruption and greed in our country. Then the next day I see On the Basis of Sex, and I’m wishing I was a lawyer. I’m wanting to be in the thick of this fight with RBG (No, I don’t actually wanna be a lawyer, but for two hours I thought I did). The pacing was so quick and our lead Felicity Jones was full of so much fire, that it was impossible not to cheer her on and feel a rush of adrenaline.
The movie even came close to getting real tears out of me with its final shot. A couple days later I’m talking to someone about this, and their first comment was how it made them cry. Guess I’m not the only one.
I also really loved Armie Hammer in this, as RBG’s husband Marty. He was so loving and supportive and smart. In one of his best roles, he highlighted how important an equal partnership can be. Especially in this world that’s weighted in favor of the men folk, having one of them in your corner can make all the difference.
But of course, the real superstar here was RBG. Jones captured her well, but it was more RBG’s actions than Jones’ performance that riveted me. I’ve known she was a political hero and a feminist icon, but it was mind blowing to see on screen exactly what all she did to get there’. And she’s brilliant too. I think what most impressed me were the early scenes where she was in school AND helping Marty thru his classes, while taking care of a little one. How long until she gets a spot in the MCU?
On the Basis of Sex – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/