Ask Dr. Ruth Review

NR

Magnolia Pictures, Hulu Originals,  Delirio Films

1 Hr and 40 Minutes

Dir: Ryan White

Cast: Dr. Ruth Westheimer

Don’t let her small stature fool you. Standing at under five feet tall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a force. A pioneer in the field of sex therapy, she became a household name in the ’80s and ’90s. At 90 years old, she hasn’t stopped working—and still promises the best sex you’ve ever had if you listen to her.

In my youth, I watched a ton of PBS Kids. One of my favorite shows on the afternoon program block was Between the Lions. If you’re around my age and used to watch this show, you possibly know what I’m alluding to with this. So, every once in a while on the show - which focused on basic English lessons such as prefixes and conjunctions presented through various sketches similar to the format of Sesame Street - they’d have a sketch called “The Word Doctor With Dr. Ruth.” Here’s a clip to show you what I’m talking about:

Watching this now, I realize this clip is one long innuendo. But I was five years old back then. I didn’t get it. When I saw the trailer for Hulu’s Ask Dr. Ruth on my Twitter feed, a rush of nostalgia hit and I didn’t realize this until I saw the trailer, but DR. RUTH SPECIALIZED IN SEX!

Believe or not, I’ve been anticipating this doc since Sundance and never had the opportunity to see it during my time there. Believe me, I attempted several times but was never successful. Thank God Tribeca picked this up and I got to see this movie here, and by God it’s every ounce of perfection that I hoped it would be.

Last year we had Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the doc on Fred Rogers, a childhood icon who I didn't know was such a passionate person full of love who incorporated his persona in his real life. Ask Dr. Ruth follows the same kind of flow as the film paints this figure who was larger than life itself as she maintained her humbleness throughout. What makes this doc significantly more meaningful to me is the angle the film takes. Instead of just expressing her fame and the controversial stature she had on media, documentary Ryan White goes for a personal trajectory as Dr. Ruth Westheimer tells the story of her childhood as an orphan who was shipped off during the Holocaust with no family beside her. There are heartbreaking moments where, taken in real time, Ruth learns the truth about her parents.

Not only does she tell her story to White and the camera, but we follow her around NYC as she visits people from her past, whether they’re old flames or colleagues who helped shape her to become the successful woman she is today. Personally, the film is very eye-opening, for I didn’t know much about her and this is a well-made portrait for people like me, a millennial in my 20s who knew of Dr. Ruth, but never knew understood the impactful significance she’s had on the world.

Lately, a ton of documentaries have been incorporating stunning 2D animation with a distinct art style to help progress the story and recollection of events the subjects tell. Provided by Neko animation, the film features a watercolor-like storybook art style that is just downright beautiful. There are ample animated sequences in a style we don’t really normally see today and honestly, I would love to see more of this. I mean, we don’t really get much theatrical 2D animation in film, so seeing how exuberant and full of life this animation feels is not just welcoming, but it also truly accompanies the story of Westheimer’s past very well.

Once you hear Westheimer’s tale of how she became an iconic figure who was so ahead of her time and how she preserved through plenty of hardships, you become filled with inspiration and in awe of how remarkable this figure is. A lot of documentaries nowadays are centered on people who come from a place of wealth making the most out of themselves and becoming successful. But this is a remarkable story of a self-made woman who used to know nothing but tragedy. For most of her youth, all she felt was pain, and through her drive and determination she turned her pain into prosperity.

She may be old-fashioned, but Dr. Ruth might as well have been one of the first progressive public personalities who challenged the conventional norms centered on sexuality and women’s rights and took the world by storm. There are so many comedic scenes of Dr. Ruth being so unapologetic that you just go:

This woman was the first TV personality to address relevant issues and always stuck with her views through the course of time and became a positive activist for them. Hell, her first job in the U.S. was Planned Parenthood. Most 90-year-olds have a problematic, traditionalist point of view, but Ruth was always ahead of her time. Waaaaaay ahead. So ahead that hearing the words “giving head” from her would sound normal. The thing I love about her the most is how she never backs down from her beliefs. Through the worst that occurred in the field, such as the AIDS crisis during the ‘80s congruent with the timing of her TV program, she provided level-headed solutions and never apologized for it. She maintained her intelligence, honesty and passion and used all of the power she had for good, sharing knowledge with people unaware of those issues at the time.

Honestly, this doc boldly informed, educated and entertained me while depicting how truly incredible Dr. Ruth is. I had a blast watching this and I can see myself inspired to implement her energy and happiness into my life as she did with hers. Because if Dr. Ruth can find prosperity through the pain, you can too.

Though she keeps several things private, the film uncovers secrets of her past during the war and displays certain abilities we never knew she had. The only thing I truly wished went a little bit in-depth are the places she specialized in. Sexual things aside, it’s only fitting we learn about her personal life and it’s an extraordinary tale she tells. That being said - and not to get perverted - it makes me curious about her sexual life. She’s the O.G. Master of Sex and yet… we don’t get to know much about her experiences. We know about her doctrine and how she endlessly educated herself to become a sex therapist, but for such a bold figure who challenged the world’s view on sex through her explicitness, I wanted to know more about her in the bedroom. I mean, I found myself asking -

- several times throughout.

Ask Dr. Ruth is a thoroughly incredible and inspiring portrait of a wonderful figure who is larger than life itself.  

Rating: 4.5/5 | 92%