Citizen Ruth
1996
***½
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kurtwood Smith, Mary Kay Place, Kelly Preston, M. C. Gainey, Wallace Shawn, James LeGros, Kurt Fuller, Tippi Hedren
Ruth Stoops, a troubled, glue-sniffing young woman, becomes pregnant and ends up as a pawn in the clash between the pro-life and pro-choice activist groups. Alexander Payne's directorial debut is a dark satire that exposes the hypocrisy and self-interest on both sides of the American abortion debate and shows how nobody in the conversation sees Ruth as a person. Laura Dern gives a delightfully bonkers lead performance. The other characters are drawn with very broad strokes. The terrific final shot encapsulates the entire film.
