On the Basis of Sex

"Her story made history"

2018 2h 0m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 1,154

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of sex discrimination.

“Her story made history”

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Cast

Felicity Jones
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Armie Hammer
Martin D. Ginsburg
Justin Theroux
Mel Wulf
Sam Waterston
Erwin Griswold
Kathy Bates
Dorothy Kenyon
Cailee Spaeny
Jane C. Ginsburg
Callum Shoniker
James Steven Ginsburg
Jack Reynor
James H. Bozarth

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mimi Leder
Writers: Daniel Stiepleman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mimi Leder, shot by Michael Grady. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michelle Tesoro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer and Justin Theroux carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Her story made history".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4669788 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mimi Leder directs. Michael Grady behind the camera. Mychael Danna scores. Michelle Tesoro cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 8 years ago.
2Directed by Mimi Leder, shot by Michael Grady. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Michelle Tesoro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer and Justin Theroux carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Her story made history".
7IMDB entry: tt4669788 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "1970s", "biography", "based on true story", "supreme court".

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Grady
Original score: Mychael Danna
Editing: Michelle Tesoro
Production design: Nelson Coates
Costume design: Isis Mussenden
Makeup / hair: Michelle Côté
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $38,755,968
Return: 194% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: On the Basis of Sex (2018)

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Mimi Leder

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 1/10
Well, it's so inaccurate that you can tell from the start that it is going for statement over biopic. And it almost seems like it should be titled "The Unstoppable RBG" as she comes across as right all the time, faultless, stronger, smarter and more capable than anyone to the point where she can argue a case, preform brain surgery, and create the rocket that got us to the moon, in a single night without breaking a sweat. She's more perfect here than Mary Poppins and it makes the film sort of unbelievable. Ginsburg is human, I'm sure she had to struggle to over come more than just the evil White Male patriarchy, but even that she effortlessly dismantles. Halfway through the movie you expect her to wear a cape and fly away, just to prove she can out super Superman as well. In a Biopic you kind of expect to get to know the character, to see their ups and downs. Instead, however, what you get is a golden god with history rewritten to add a healthy polish.
CinemaSerf2024-05-30
★ 6/10
A great opportunity to assess the remarkable achievements of Ruth Bader Ginsberg - but one that misses more than it hits. Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer just don't have the gravitas to pull this off - they deliver none of the feistiness, grit and determination that must have featured substantially in her struggle for equality and success within her profession. It isn't anywhere near as bad as a traditional TV movie, but it blurs the lines between autobiography and fiction in a way that serves to diminish the overall story and that's a real shame. I'd have loved to see Katharine Hepburn play her!