Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has for some time now been affectionately referred to as the Notorious RBG.
Her 26 years on the court and unwavering stances on stances on gender and sex equality have given her a title only synonymous with the likes of well-loved celebrities, superheroes and — oddly specifically — infamous rap gods.
So, how do you set out to make a narrative biopic, not a documentary, about one of America’s most beloved 85-year-olds? The producers of “On the Basis of Sex” set out to create a very difficult film, and for the most part succeeded.
Hailey Stewart | Argonaut
“The Notorious RBG.” Aside from the label’s correlation with rap star The Notorious B.I.G., it carries an air of a no-nonsense, serious-minded attitude. That is what the producers of this film try to achieve.
The intro to “On the Basis of Sex” provides an unexpected spectacle: hundreds of mostly white men in suits walking to the historic “Ten Thousand Men of Harvard” tune. In that mix, a powder blue, powerful dress appears.
A young Ginsburg joins the hundreds of men and just a handful of women during the 1956 fall semester at Harvard Law School. Out of the 500 people in her class, Ginsburg, played by Felicity Jones, and nine other women take their place just six years after the first co-ed class was introduced to Harvard.
In one scene, the dean of Harvard Law asks why the women in the class have the right to take spots from any of the men who applied to the school but where turned away. Amid the fumbles and confused answers, Ginsburg’s snarky and wit is what stands out.
This is where Ginsburg’s story begins in “On the Basis of Sex.” The biopic portrays how Ginsburg finds her voice and the many instances in which people attempt to take it from her.
Aside from sharing the story of Ginsburg’s education and struggle to find a law office that will take on a female lawyer, “On the Basis of Sex” shares small portions of her family life. While gender stereotypes might run rampant in her professional life, it’s interesting to see a different dynamic at home.
Marty, Ginsburg’s husband played by Armie Hammer, acts as the buffer between a strained mother-daughter relationship and a sense of comfort for the family.
It is also her husband who brings Ginsburg’s attention to a tax law case that sweeps her career into history. With her husband’s help, Ginsburg takes the lead in representing a Colorado man who was denied tax benefits customarily given to female caregivers solely based on the fact he is a single male.
Ginsburg works her way through gender inequality, societal standards and old law precedents that do little for her case in only the way the “Notorious RBG” would — with vigor and class.
Ginsburg goes on to fight their case in court and ultimately, as history would make it, she wins. The film depicts just this small snapshot of a long life well lived in the court.
What this film lacks in depth, it makes up for in fast, engaging dialogue and a storyline that provides a good look at one of Ginsburg’s greatest achievements — even if it only shows just one.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @HaileyAStew