Most critics find RBG an engaging, affectionate portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with praise clustering around her patient work for gender equality and her partnership with her husband, Marty. The marriage emerges as a particularly moving element, giving the account of her public achievements warmth and personal detail. Several reviews also find Ginsburg herself compelling company, praising her quiet force, eloquence and the opportunity to hear her legal arguments.
The spread is wide, however, and the main disagreement concerns how much the film’s admiration limits its scrutiny. Even favourable reviews question its emphasis on celebrity, its occasionally cutesy approach and its limited dissenting perspectives. The AV Club finds the judicial career glossed over and the interviews reduced to generic praise, while Slant Magazine argues that legal victories and arguments become slogans. For these dissenters, the celebration leaves too little room for a searching account of Ginsburg’s work.
