Editing Citizen Ruth (section)

==Reception==
''Citizen Ruth'' received positive reviews upon release. On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 26 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smart and sharply funny, ''Citizen Ruth'' is an entertaining look at a tough subject – and an impressive calling card for debuting director/co-writer Alexander Payne."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/citizen_ruth/|title=''Citizen Ruth''|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted average]] score of 64 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/citizen-ruth|title=''Citizen Ruth'' Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref>

Praise was given to Dern's performance, with [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]],'' writing "Criminally negligent as Ruth is, she becomes outrageously funny and weirdly lovable thanks to Laura Dern's sidesplitting performance in this role. Proving herself a terrific physical comedian, the long and rangy Ms. Dern kicks and shrieks her way through the crisis that erupts over Ruth's plight."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=1996-12-13 |title=To Abort, Not to Abort: A Comedy |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/movies/to-abort-not-to-abort-a-comedy.html |access-date=2023-11-29 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of four praising the film for its "reckless courage to take on both sides in the abortion debate" and for its "gallery of sharp-edged satiric portraits."<ref name=Ebert>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Citizen Ruth Movie Review & Film Summary (1997)|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/citizen-ruth-1997|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=RogerEbert.com|access-date=October 14, 2013|date=April 4, 1997}}</ref> He added, "There is a point at which this all perhaps grows a little thin; we yearn for someone to cheer for, instead of against. But there is courage in the decision to make Ruth an unredeemed dopehead whose only instinct is to go for the cash. I doubt that the two sides in the debate would actually engage in a bidding war, but that's what satire is for: To take reality and extend it to absurdity."<ref name=Ebert/>

[[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' also gave the film a positive review calling the performances "pinpoint perfect", though also suggesting that the "movie is a little too aware of its own outrageousness."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|title=Citizen Ruth|url= https://ew.com/article/1997/01/10/citizen-ruth-2/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=October 14, 2013|date=January 10, 1997}}</ref> [[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' focused on the fact of ''Citizen Ruth'' being Payne's directorial debut, stating, "Director Payne may not yet possess all the skills necessary to completely pull off a full-scale social farce; he could profitably have added more comic invention around the edges, but he does score quite a few points, even-handedly ribbing the extremists in both camps."<ref>{{cite web|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|title=Review: 'Precious'|url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/precious-1200444264/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[PMC (company)|Penske Media Corporation]]|access-date=October 14, 2013|date=January 29, 1996}}</ref>