A surprisingly engaging and inspiring biopic about Ruth Bader Ginsberg - the now-86-year-old still-sitting Supreme Court Justice.
I went in knowing only so much about Bader Ginsberg. Namely, that she had been on the Supreme Court for a couple of decades, was a champion of equal gender rights, and that she was on the more liberal side of the political spectrum. Little did I know just how impressive her background was, or just how immensely smart and tough the woman has always been.
It would defeat the point for me to list out the fact and details about Bader Ginsberg's life that are fascinating. For that, I would only recommend that you see the movie. Rather, I'll just point out that I had no idea of just how monumental were some of the cases which she brought to the Supreme Court back in the 1970s, or just how intelligent she was, as evidenced in her winning some massive cases that have changed the course of law in the U.S.
Of course, documentaries have to be more than just a list of interesting facts about a person. And RBG has that in spades. By looking at the more recent icon status that Bader Ginsberg has attained and interviewing the many, many powerful political figures who have been her contemporaries, we get a fuller picture of how this relatively quiet, unassuming woman has steadfastly made her strong, thoughtful voice heard over the decades. There are more than a few humorous anecdotes offered, and the pacing and editing of the movie are great.
This is an excellent one, even for those who don't particularly care for documentaries. If you have a shred of curiosity about this country's recent legal history, then RBG should have something for you.
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Touching biopic of the unlikely TV icon Fred "Mr." Rogers, whose children show was beloved by children for decades.
I can't speak for Millenials, but I can safely say that anyone in the U.S. over the age of 30 knows all about Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and it's eponymous and unlikely star Fred Rogers. From its inception in the late 1960s, it was an oasis of calm in a landscape of children's shows which was growing ever more flashy, bombastic, and shallow. In stark contrast to dazzling superhero and rebel cartoon and live action shows, Fred Rogers welcomed children into his fictional house, where the Zen-like figure spoke directly to children about their worries, concerns, and made them feel like someone was listening and understood them. This documentary traces the history of not only the marvelously unique show, but its marvelously unique creator and star.
Just about all of us know the TV show, and Fred Rogers himself has long since become a figure - often esteemed and sometimes mocked and lampooned - of boundless patience and kindness. This documentary certainly covers much of that ground, and the many scenes of Rogers's interactions with other people, especially children, both on and off the show are often amazingly touching. I actually found myself getting choked up several times during the picture, and I'm not one who is quick to tears. Perhaps even more fascinating, though, are a few facts about Rogers and the very early history of the show in the mid and late 1960s. When PBS was facing the possibility of losing much of its funding due to looming federal budge cuts, Rogers single-handedly convinced an extremely hard-nosed congressman to give the public network the millions that they needed. The video of this is worth the price of admission alone. And then there are the socially progressive moves which Rogers made, such as having an African-American man play the mailman character, and going so far as to share a simple foot bath with him - an act that would have little meaning in the 21st century, but was a tremendous gesture in a country where strict segregation was still the rule of the much of the land. Reminders about such moments on the show help revive my appreciation for Rogers's positive impact on our society.
While I can't say that there were any grand revelations about Rogers or the show, there are certainly some curious and engaging facts about the man and his impact on American culture. This was a solid biopic that documentary fans are certain to enjoy, and those who remember Rogers and his TV show fondly will almost certainly love.
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