HE WAS AN UNASSUMING GENTLEMAN. Usually dressed in dress slacks, open collared cotton shirt and gym shoes; he usually went unnoticed by the customers. To them they assumed he was someone’s dad or grandfather who was spending the day at the office. Little did they know he owned the whole company and that is why I admired him. There are some people who wear their job/career while others do the work. I know someone who owns a hair salon; they must always have their hair done just right, besides keeping up with a youthful appearance. In other words, plastic surgery is one of their options. I may not agree surgery is necessary but I understand where they are coming from. As far as they are concerned they are the face of their salon. Years ago, I worked for the owner of a company who thought he had to have the best of everything to show how successful his company was doing. I was not buying his logic; he was pompous and greedy. He had a new expensive car every year, ate at the finest restaurants in the city and had his shirts all custom made. As far as I could tell none of it represented his wholesale company. MY EXPERIENCES HAVE SHOWN OWNERS who are not focused on appearances tend to be the hardest working people at the company. They are driven and want their company along with all its employees to be successful. The individuals who put themselves first before their company do not have the passion and more importantly the compassion needed to succeed. I get a kick out of meeting a person who looks nothing like I imagine that person would look like in a job position. There was a woman I was introduced to who was the person who calculated the fuel quantity for passenger jets. She had to decide how much fuel each jet needed based on distances, taking into consideration weather conditions. As she was telling me this I was surprised simply because it entailed such calculations and her persona was one of a free spirited, feet not on the ground individual. To me I could have seen her being an artist or potter, not essentially a mathematician. I was basing this just on her actions around me, by the way. There was a game I used to play years ago at restaurants and such, where we would make up stories about the people we would see; you know, like guessing their job or hobbies. If one of those strangers was Ruth Bader Ginsburg; taken out of context, I would never have guessed she was a supreme court justice let alone a lawyer. THIS FILM FESTIVAL WINNING DOCUMENTARY directed by Julie Cohen (American Veteran, The Sturgeon Queens) and Betsy West (Constantine’s Sword, The Lavender Scare) was a joy to watch. I am not talking from a political standpoint, but simply because I learned things I did not know that were historic. The things Ruth did as a lawyer were extraordinary. I honestly feel every woman at least needs to be aware of Ruth’s accomplishments. As a fitness instructor I was so impressed with her workout regime; we are talking about a woman in her 80s who is doing yoga planks and lifting weights. I am aware this film is somewhat like a love letter to Ruth, but putting that aside, I found the different stories interesting. For being such a soft spoken, diminutive individual; she certainly has an inner strength and strong belief system that people ½ her age have not reached. There are more things I could say about the various scenes in this movie, but I would rather you experience the surprise I did learning about such a vibrant human being.
3 ½ stars