Ask Dr. Ruth Reviews
Dr. Ruth's life story is remarkable and worthy of Oscar-bait dramatization. Until then, the worthy gift that Ask Dr. Ruth is will do.
| Feb 10, 2020
She is good at deflecting those who want to pry and that's a problem for the film. If we're going to go 100 minutes with this remarkable old lady, a little depth is pretty much required.
| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 4, 2019
Whether it's Ruth reflecting on the details of her three marriages with her characteristic frankness or her family unpacking her political stances, it offers up insight into a woman who helped so many others truly know themselves.
| Original Score: B | May 31, 2019
Director Ryan White's documentary depicts Dr. Ruth as lovable every-granny - if your grandmother was a celebrity sex therapist not shy around STIs, vibrators and porn.
| Original Score: 3/4 | May 15, 2019
The film does a great job of contextualizing the phenom of Dr. Ruth.
| Original Score: 3/4 | May 3, 2019
A long-overdue bio-doc that, in its spirited way, is as affirming as last year's paean to another important octogenarian Ruth, RBG.
| May 3, 2019
The director Ryan White ("The Keepers") has fun exploring all that gimmicky pop-cultural detritus, and he also drops in a few greatest-hits montages covering Westheimer's rise to fame.
| May 2, 2019
A movie that feels more like an encomium than a thoughtful probe of a brilliantly mutinous mind.
| May 2, 2019
Westheimer provides an essential public service, which the film, an affectionate tribute to her life and work, continues.
| May 2, 2019
The value in the documentary lies in Westheimer's personal story, which is pretty amazing.
| Original Score: 3/4 | May 1, 2019
As a documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth has it kind of easy: It's got an enchanting subject eager to tell a fascinating story.
| Original Score: B+ | Apr 29, 2019
For the most part, White... simply gets out of his subject's way, letting her win you over with her sunny demeanor.
| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 29, 2019
At its best, the film is a testament to how Ruth Westheimer's practiced decency was literally a saving grace during the Reagan era.
| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 29, 2019
After counseling thousands, Dr. Ruth faces her own pain, which defies healing.
| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 26, 2019
Most of "Ask Dr. Ruth" is nonstop fun. No one else could look their interviewer in the eye and say "this is a stupid question!" in such a friendly, lovable way.
| Apr 26, 2019
The irony at the core of the Dr. Ruth persona is that the maverick who made the bedroom public is herself incredibly private
| Original Score: C | Feb 11, 2019
Ably and reasonably positions Dr. Ruth Westheimer to be something like the Ruth Bader Ginsburg of sex.
| Jan 25, 2019