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Ruth (Laura Dern) is a young homeless glue-addicted street junkie, who is arrested again completely doped. The justice realizes that she is pregnant for the fifth time, and the judge offers her the option of an abortion. Ruth is released under the custody of a family and sooner she is involved in a pro-choice vs. pro-life (called 'The Babysavers') dispute. This is the first time I have seen this movie and it is a very acid social criticism of the American society hypocrisy regarding the abortion theme. The story does not spare any side, showing hypocrites persons on both sides. The pro-life are showed as religious fanatics and narrow-minded persons, the deranged family who lodges Ruth has a the father with sexual attraction in Laura and the mother a fanatic who does not see the behavior of her own daughter. The pro-choice group is showed as homosexual, but also faking a situation. In common, all of them are radicals hypocrites. And Ruth indeed is not caring whether she is going to have her fifth baby or not, abusing of drugs and alcohol and only interested in the money offered by both sides. And the rights of the citizen Ruth is the less important issue for both sides. Laura Dern has one of her best interpretations and in the very beginning of the movie, I did not recognize her. I believe she was not indicated for an Oscar due to the polemic theme of abortion. The performance of the cast and the direction are also excellent. My vote is seven, but maybe this movie deserves a better ranking after watching it for the second time.

Title (Brazil): 'Ruth em Questão' (Ruth in Question')

The title character of "Citizen Ruth" (Dern), an indigent and pregnant fume-head with a potty mouth and bad attitude, finds herself the unwitting cause of a clash of pro-choice and pro-abortion activists in this bitingly satirical look at the abortion issue in America. Dern makes an excellent centerpiece for this award winning comedy which mocks both sides of the life/choice controversy with a vanguard of comic stereotypes. "CR" should be an enjoyable and fun watch for those mature enough for strong language and not so brittle as to personalize the issues involved.

Alexander Payne, from personal opinion, is a very talented director and writer. With the exception of his recent film 'Downsizing' (his most ambitious film with such a great concept but underwhelming in execution), all his films range from very good to outstanding, especially 'Sideways'.

'Citizen Ruth' was his first full-length film, and while not his best or one of them (perhaps his second or third weakest, 'The Descendants' while still very good is also a lesser effort) there is a lot to admire. 'Citizen Ruth' may lack the viciousness and poignancy of his later and particularly best work, when Payne had properly found his feet and fine-tuned his style, hence why it is not rated as highly as much as them, but his talent for directing and writing for so early on is very much evident.

The film is notable for handling a very difficult subject matter (abortion), but uniquely not taking sides and shows both sides of the argument rather than making a judgement on whether it's good or bad. This was a very brave and daring decision and attitude to take, and one that those who have been through it themselves in particular will appreciate and relate with, there is nothing to be offended by.

Even with this difficult and sensitive subject, 'Citizen Ruth' manages to be entertaining in a darkly amusing way but doing it tastefully and taking it seriously still. In typical Payne style, it is also very thought-provoking and honest with plenty to say and saying it with tact.

Payne directs with skill, even if his direction became more refined later. 'Citizen Ruth' is very nicely filmed, if not one of his most visually beautiful or striking films ('Sideways', 'The Descendants' and especially 'Nebraska' fit this distinction more). The story is compelling and balanced, if not always sharp in pacing in the latter stages.

Similarly, Payne gets the best out of his actors. The whole cast are top notch, but this is sensational Laura Dern's, in one of her best and boldest performances, film.

Overall, hugely impressive and brave. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I thought "Citizen Ruth" was fine, biting satire and a movie that had to be made at some point in America's history. Like all good movies, it is not really about the subject at hand - in this case, the abortion issue - but about something deeper and more far reaching. "Citizen Ruth" is about people who get so devoted to a cause they think important to humanity that they forget to consider actual human beings.

Of course, the unavoidable problem with a movie such as this is that almost all of the characters are unsympathetic. Regardless of what opinion one has on the abortion issue, both factions behave badly and they do it supposedly on behalf of the most irresponsible, irredeemable, unlikable (but still watchable) glue sniffer around, Ruth. The effect can be a little wearing, especially at the end.

The movie alleviates this problem by including one wonderful character, Harlan, the cynical Gulf War vet. He unceremoniously plunks his prosthetic leg on the kitchen table. He eats shirtless standing over a sink. He sees Ruth as a person, albeit a diminished one, and is willing to give her what she really wants (money) in order to, as he says, level the playing field, even though he knows she will squander it in a matter of days and tells her so. While he is on the prochoice side, he sees the humor in the situation, as evidenced by his wonderful grin and does not seem to lose track of his own humanity. His dialogue is priceless. Where everybody else speaks in rhetoric he cuts to the chase. My favorite retort of his occurs when the sanctimonious Dale, a pro-lifer, spouts out some Biblical condemnation at him and he responds by giving the exact location in the Bible of the quote. Naturally the actor playing the part, M. C. Gainey, deserves much of the credit for creating this appealing character.

The movie has many other merits but Harlan is my own personal favorite

Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) is paint-huffing homeless white trash. She has four kids but doesn't have custody of any of them. She goes to her brother to ask for money and he offers $15. She passes out in public and gets arrested. She's pregnant again. The angry judge overcharges her and she's pressured to get an abortion. In jail, she is befriended by Diane Siegler (Swoosie Kurtz) and her team of religious pro-life protesters. Norm (Kurtwood Smith) and Gail Stoney (Mary Kay Place) bail them out and take Ruth into their home. The Stoneys have two kids, rebellious Cheryl (Alicia Witt) and Matt. They take Ruth to a fake clinic to talk her out of the abortion and make her a media case for their group "The Baby Savers". Ruth struggles with her addition and her aversion for notoriety. Diane is actually a pro-choice spy and helps her get away from the Stoneys. Diane calls in Harlan (M.C. Gainey), her lesbian partner Rachel (Kelly Preston), and other pro-choice activists. Her abortion becomes a national issue, and the two sides bring their national leaders Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hedren) and Blaine Gibbons (Burt Reynolds).

Alexander Payne tackles this divisive issue with humor. It skewers both side although the pro-lifers get the greater ridicule. The tricky subject matter is tough to get right and the humor is hard to calibrate. I don't think this is funny for everybody. Laura Dern delivers a complicated and endearing character. The level of difficulty is very high and Payne navigates it with great skills.

Before writer/director Alexander Payne was making deep, intimate pictures centered around eccentric humans playing a little game called "Life," he was concocting explosive satires, bursting at the seams with originality and charm. His directorial debut, Citizen Ruth, is a little stroll through the eclectic-side of his days.

Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) is a rather despicable woman. She has had multiple kids and has been addicted to inhaling substances from glue to patio sealant for years now. When she discovers she is pregnant again, she tosses around the idea of having an abortion, so as not to give birth to another unfortunate, helpless soul. Having no family and no one to turn to for advice, she finds herself intrusively manipulated by pro-life and pro-choice groups from all walks of life, and his taken in by a well-meaning couple, played by Kurtwood Smith and Mary Kay Place. They will provide her with everything she could need, including protection from the media, so long as she doesn't give into the abortion.

The remainder of the film centers around the asinine attention the media pays to Ruth and her "family," and how she may be forcefully committed to one side because of their obnoxious manipulation.

What is truly amazing, however, is how Citizen Ruth manages to perfectly keep a centrist viewpoint, showing both sides at their utmost ridiculous. Never does the film show a direct bias. From watching this, we can sort of believe that Payne's view on the entire abortion issue is simplified to something along the lines of, "both sides are equally right and equally bizarre."

Dern here is spectacularly, embodying a character void of any likability traits and sophistication as a whole. She is an unkempt, sorry mess of a woman and Payne portrays her exactly as that. While it may not be the most complete film out there, or even one of the funniest satires (especially when you put to along side Election, Payne's sophomore effort), it still is a reasonable compliment to say that Citizen Ruth does a splendid job of keeping a film about a controversial issue neutral and viable throughout its runtime.

Starring: Laura Dern, Kurtwood Smith, and Mary Kay Place. Directed by: Alexander Payne.

There is something about Citizen Ruth that keeps me coming back to it. I must have seen it 30 times and haven't tired of it yet. It is genuine and the people are so amazingly real. It's almost as if some of my neighbours seem just like the characters in the film. That says a lot in my opinion. The Mid-west is a land that holds a special place in the American psyche. I can literally count on my hands the number of films that truly capture its spirit. Citizen Ruth is one of those films. From scenes in the hardware store to large rear wheel drive Fords, everything fits perfectly. This film captures a place called Omaha which for better or worse Hollywood largely ignores. It also treats a controversial topic like abortion in a thoughtful manner. Excellent film. Highly recommended.

10 out of 10 stars.

Sometimes reality is better than the best movie and certainly when that reality is situated in the USA and talks about some moral subjects. Think of the legalization of the gay marriage, euthanasia, abortion,... All that has already been accepted in that little, unknown and unloved country that we call Belgium, but thanks to all those conservative religious fanatics in America that are against everything that might make life a bit fun or bearable, we always get some good laughs over here. In case you didn't know it yet: most of us don't worship the devil, but are good catholics ... most of us, hahaha.

Why this little text you ask yourself? Well, because this movie is about one of those subjects. It talks about a young woman called Ruth Stoops, a pregnant drug using and glue/paint sniffing junk who has already had her other children taken away from her. When she's convicted by a judge, she gets the advice to have the unborn child removed, because it won't have any future with its mother. In return she won't get convicted for child abuse. But while in jail she meets people who are member of the pro-life group the Babysavers. These people convince her (brainwash her is a better word for it, if you see the tactics that they use) not to give up the baby. And before Ruth really understands what is happening to her, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a "war" between the Babysavers and a group that supports abortion...

Most actors in this movie did a very good job, but personally I liked Laura Dern's performance most. She was very convincing as the drug addicted mother and was very funny to watch in the second half of the movie when she had to decide which camp she would chose. At first this movie was just too serious to call it a comedy. I'm not saying it wasn't any good, but it felt a bit too real to my taste. At first I had the feeling that this movie was created by some people who really wanted to give a powerful message against abortion to the world. Only late in the movie, I finally understood that this wasn't the case and at that moment I started to enjoy it a lot more. That's why I give this movie a 6.5/10 perhaps even a 7/10. I like the fact that they try to make fun of the subject, only too bad that they didn't start with that from the beginning.

Laura Dern gives what should have been an oscar-winning performance in this satire of the abortion controversy. However this movie is not for the main stream. She plays a homeless drug user and a user period. Not a nice person. She has four kids in three different places. The first scene depicts her trying to hit up her ex for money displaying only a token concern for her kids. But by the end of the movie you kinda like her (well, almost... you still would never let her come to your house). Anyway when she is picked up for the 16th time that year by the cops for sniffing household stuff (anything she can find: glue, paint, brake fluid...), the authorities find out that she is pregnant. The DA charges her with criminal endangerment of the fetus, but hints that if she has an abortion the charge will go away. While in the city jail she meets up with the Baby Savers and a tug-of-war ensues between them and the Right-To-Choose people. The portrayal of both sides is so devastatingly accurate that I doubt either side would know they're being lampooned. This movie rates with Cold Turkey and Drop Dead Gorgeous for its cynical, but hilarious portrait of American Life.

Stinging, yet simultaneously funny portrait of a young drug addicted girl (Laura Dern) who gets torn apart by opposing lobby groups. Pro Life groups as well as Pro Abortion groups manipulate the girl in accepting their point of view with scheming tricks.

Director Alexander Payne is known for his tongue in cheek stories and "Citizen Ruth" is no different. Most jokes arise from true to life situations, which are dramatized somewhat for comical effect. Slowburning, lovely portrait in which both sides (Pro life and Pro Abortion) get to have their say. But what is best for the pregnant girl? That's the cliffhanger.

Not the best Alexander Payne movie out there, but most certainly a charming and enlightening one, with still a very hot debated subject: abortion.

An outstanding work – the consummate Indie.

A great, little satire that manages to make you identify with a homeless, hopeless druggie.

Laura Dern is perfect as the indigent & insatiable "Ruth". She brings an engaging hidden-beauty to the part, and with the help of Alexander Payne's brilliant direction, she nimbly walks the wire between comical hero and tragic pariah.

This gem clearly demonstrates that, even though the production budget may be lower than a republican's principles - when great talent and artistic enthusiasm couple, a work of genius is likely to be born.

Cheers, AB – a staff member of Prospect Point Productions, Inc.

Ruth is the most unlikable, selfish human being I have seen portrayed in a movie in a long time. There wasn't one redeeming feature about her and yet she was the only one I was even close to rooting for in this depressing movie.

The only character that had a clue about what she really was about was the Viet Nam vet Harlan. The tag line to me was when he told her that they both knew exactly how long the $15,000.00 dollars would last in her hands, about 3 days.

Everybody in this movie was unlovable, unyielding and closed minded.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. What I thought was going to be a Laura Dern chick flick turned into a really exciting, character driven political commentary in the league of BOYS DON'T CRY. However, where BOYS is extremely dramatic and intense, RUTH is comic and satirical. No matter which side of the abortion debate you find yourself on, you'll recognize this rogues gallery of overly self-righteous fools and freaks that crowd our existence as well as Ruth's. Where another reviewer here finds the story predictable, I don't see how anyone could guess the end of this feature. Not that it's some clever, ingenious twist like the end of the SIXTH SENSE. It's merely not the way most movies end, and although slightly a fluffy ending, it's definitely unpredictable. If you enjoyed BOYS, see RUTH as part of a weekend double feature.

I have seen Laura Dern in a few movies, but none that really showed her ability as this one.

The was an outrageously funny abortion satire and she really shined as the huffer that gets pregnant and is the pawn of both sides in the fight over a fetus. Both sides - pro-choice and anti-abortion - were made fun of in this film. They were people that you would really not want to know.

Mary Kay Place is a "Baby Saver" that hasn't got a clue. Her daughter is sneaking out at night, and her "righteous" husband is just a letch. She takes in Ruth (Dern) and gets her to those so-called counseling centers so they can work her over. Swoosie Kurtz rescues her, but Ruth soon finds that the other side is just as bad. The druggie and unfit mother soon scams them all in a very satisfactory ending.

Dern plays a perfect white-trash Barbie that is out for herself. She really gives a great performance as she switches from booze to bathroom-cleaning fluid, and back to booze. Ruth is just out for Ruth and she manages to take care of herself. She sees money as a solution to all her problems, and Dern plays up her ignorance in a manner that is well worth watching.

Burt Reynolds and Tippi Hedren play the national leaders on both sides of the abortion war. It really doesn't matter which side you are one, but you will definitely be pro-Laura Dern after seeing this.

An irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman (Laura Dern) finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.

Alexander Payne makes his directorial debut here. Notably, he would go on to be Oscar-nominated for "Nebraska", a film starring Bruce Dern (Laura's father). He would have other Oscar nominations for writing, but working with the elder Dern gave him that extra feather in his cap.

While the film's overt subject matter is abortion, Payne has insisted that the film is more prominently about the human side of fanaticism. Elaborating on this, Payne said, "People become fanatics for highly personal reasons. I mean, it's more about them and their own psychosis than about that cause." You can completely see this as the thrust of the film, as there is never any clear argument for or against abortion, and both sides pushed to their extreme with Ruth in the middle not giving a hoot.

Oh, and Burt Reynolds shows up.

In what has got to be one of Laura Dern's most interesting roles, she plays indigent drug addict Ruth Stoops, ordered to have an abortion at the risk of damaging her unborn fetus. That's when she gets taken in by a fundamentalist Christian, right-to-life family who starts using her as a rallying call. But abortion rights activists also see Ruth as a rallying call.

Like "Thank You for Smoking", "Citizen Ruth" shows the hypocrisy of both sides in a controversial topic, as they both want to use an individual for their own ends. This movie sort of predicted what would happen to Terri Schiavo almost ten years in advance. Moreover, director Alexander Payne shows the twisted sensibility that he would later bring to "Election", "About Schmidt" and "Sideways". You gotta agree with what Ruth does at the end. Definitely one that I recommend.

Also starring Kurtwood Smith, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, Kelly Preston, Kenneth Mars and Tippi Hedren.

Occasionally you will see a movie that may take you some time to decide whether you enjoyed it. By the second time you see it, you're better able to fully appreciate the movie without becoming wrapped up in confusing or disturbing plot elements. "Citizen Ruth" is one of the best examples of this phenomenon I have ever seen. If you've seen it before, give it another chance. If you have not, give yourself some time to reflect after watching it. You will not be disappointed.

"Citizen Ruth" is the story of a woman, Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern could not have been a better choice for this role), who has spent her difficult life making a lot of bad choices. She is a quick-tempered, irresponsible but naive junkie, who you can't help but root for. When she finds herself pregnant yet again, with no intention of giving up the model airplane glue and spray paint she regularly huffs, the judge makes it clear that with all of her previous run-ins with the legal system, Ruth had better "take care of the problem" or face serious charges.

When the local pro-life group, the Babysavers (Kurtwood Smith was another excellent choice to play the leader of this group) catches wind of the judge's comments, they set out to save Ruth and her unborn child. This, of course, turns out in a hilariously disastrous way, when pro-choice gets involved to even up the playing field. Ruth's naivete makes her easy for both sides to manipulate, and neither pro-life nor pro-choice winds up looking very good.

The ending to this movie is not, in my opinion, as predictable as it seems, and it really gives you something to think about - what is "life" and how much (both in material and ethereal terms) is it worth, particularly when it's placed in the hands of somebody who is in such poor control of her or his own? Is it ethical to take advantage of somebody's lack of knowledge for your own gain, or is it even okay to try to change somebody's mind? Is Ruth Stoops a bad person, or just a misunderstood and desperate woman? And what about her final choice?

This movie is worth a second look, and at a $3 rental fee, what do you have to lose?

Laura Dern was terrific. She was completely unrecognizable in the first few scenes; this wasn't due to makeup, but because she was so into her character that her face completely changed.

The movie itself was quite good; always interesting and fun to watch. But it seemed to peter out rather than end; it felt like they filmed the first two acts but forgot to film the third. It's been a long time since the rolling of the closing credits surpised me so much. It's true that the ending was upbeat, and that it's seems impossible that any continuation of the story would have been happy, but that's no excuse. The ending felt lazy.

Still, worth seeing for Laura Dern.

In the wake of the huge success "Sideways" is garnering lately, everyone should look back at this incredible film from Alexander Payne, which shows off everything he and writing partner Jim Taylor are best at- the dark skewering of small-town America, rich with satire and heart. I had seen all of Payne's films except this one, and although I really loved all of them, this may be his most fully realized. This is probably because his targets are hit exactly dead-on, and the absurdity of the situations are in fact, achingly real. Laura Dern gives a wonderful and unflinching portrayal of Ruth, and the rest of the cast, especially Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, and in a small role, Burt Reynolds, are exceptional as the targets of Payne's satire. Payne fills his films with little details of small-town life, and here they add so much to the point of the story. Take for example the grace that Kurtwood Smith's character gives, which is barely heard because of the roaring plane overhead. It is these details that are the crux of a story like this. So as "Sideways" continues to claim many awards (and rightfully so), I urge you to check out this earlier film from Payne, and experience a brilliant little film, and one of the gutsiest movies you may ever see.

Laura Dern is one of my favorite actresses just for her work in Inland Empire and her stunning work in Enlightened. This film usually gets the least mentions within Payne's filmography and is probably considered his weakest, and so I was surprised and enjoyed it a hell of a lot, especially coming off of a big disappointment. Like Election, it's definitely more in the comedy-territory and while, again, it may not amount to all that much, it's still a hell of an enjoyable ride. And, of course, Laura Dern is great, she's proved she can play this sort of ditzy, unaware character and she nails it. This is definitely recommended and rather underrated