Going Against the Odds, a Young Ginsburg Begins Her Fight for Equality

Felicity Jones in "On the Basis of Sex"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

While any drama film that focuses on a real-life individual who’s done much to improve the lives of people is always intriguing to watch, seeing such a film where the subject is still living and continuing their life’s work adds a level of potency to the story because you know that the person is going beyond what you see in the movie.

This is the case with director Mimi Leder’s biographical drama, “On the Basis of Sex,” where she tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  While the film has some faults, the uplifting narrative and wonderful lead performance are enough to compensate.

In 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) enrolls in Harvard Law School as one of just a few women, studying alongside her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer).  Upon graduating and not being hired by any law firms, Ruth begins a career as a professor at Rutgers Law School.  Soon after, she’s given the opportunity from the American Civil Liberties Union to work with a sex-based-discrimination case that could help abolish inequality between men and women.

Jones provides a tough and spirited performance as Ginsburg, showing her character’s grit and persistence in furthering her education.  Jones wins you over from the first scene, presenting Ginsburg as an eager, wide-eyed law student who’s ready to obtain as much knowledge as possible and get closer to her calling in legal practices.  Jones shows Ginsburg’s conscientiousness as a student; her frustration at being rejected from law firms, despite her expertise; and her dedication to strengthening equality throughout America, all of which results in a portrayal that gets you caught up in Ginsburg’s inspirational journey as you watch her make history in the courtroom.

The supporting cast has several talented performers, such as Hammer; Justin Theroux as Mel Wulf, the legal director of the ACLU; and Kathy Bates as attorney and political activist Dorothy Kenyon.  While the supporting actors and actresses do what they can with the material that they’re given, they don’t have much of an opportunity to do a lot that’s memorable.  The only supporting cast member who’s given an opportunity to make an impression is Cailee Spaeny, who portrays Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane.  It’s a performance that shows her character’s strong willingness to strive for equal rights between men and women, while also displaying how much her character is influenced by the tireless work that her mom puts towards her family and career.

The screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman (who’s Ginsburg’s nephew) has a few unsubtle moments in the first couple of scenes, but there aren’t as many as the film goes on.  Although Stiepleman has to compress Ginsburg’s story into a two-hour film, he provides enough details for the aspects of her life that the film covers.  We have scenes of her as a student; her married life; her time as a professor; and the landmark case into which she pours her heart; while also going in depth as the story describes the laws that discriminate between the sexes.

Although the film has the look and feel of a standard biopic, Leder offers some memorable shots here and there, such as in the opening scene where we see Ginsburg entering the halls of Harvard with a crowd of male students, a sequence that shows Ginsburg’s earnestness in pursuing her dreams and going against what was expected of women during that time.

“On the Basis of Sex” may have some areas in which it could have been stronger, but the places in which it excels have enough to make you cheer.

Grade: B