Citizen Ruth

“Life, liberty, money and the pursuit of happiness. She's gotta have it.”

Ruth Stoops (Laura Dern) wants only her next hit, but she is pregnant again and facing charges for huffing paint. Word of her condition spreads, and Norm Stoney (Kurtwood Smith) and Diane Siegler (Swoosie Kurtz) each arrive with a cause and a stake in what she does. Alexander Payne puts both camps around her loud and certain while Ruth barely takes in why she matters.