Ask Dr. Ruth

Ask Dr. Ruth is a 2019 documentary film directed by Ryan White and produced by Jessica Hargrave, Christopher Leggett, Rafael Marmor, and Ryan White under the banner of Delirio Films, Neko Productions, and Tripod Media. The film follows German-American sex therapist Ruth Westheimer as she reflects on her life and career. The film's title derives from the name of Westheimer's syndicated 1987 late-night television series Ask Dr. Ruth.[2]

Ask Dr. Ruth
Directed byRyan White
Produced byJessica Hargrave
Christopher Leggett
Rafael Marmor
Ryan White
Music byBlake Neely
Release date
  • 25 January 2019 (2019-01-25) (Sundance Film Festival)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$315,145[1]

The film premiered on 25 January 2019 at Sundance Film Festival.[3] Ask Dr. Ruth won Best Documentary Feature at the Calgary Underground Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Miami International Film Festival. The film received positive critical reviews.

Synopsis

As German-American sex therapist Ruth Westheimer approaches her ninetieth birthday, she reflects on her life and career.

Cast

Credits adapted from Rotten Tomatoes.[4]

Westheimer is a German-born American sex therapist, and a Holocaust survivor.[3] She discusses progressive issues such as masturbation, gay sex, and importance of clitoral stimulation.[3] She has appeared in radio shows and TV talk shows to talk about progressive issues.[5] Westheimer has written 46 books, including her bestselling book Sex for Dummies.[5]

Production

In 2017, director Ryan White pitched an idea to make a documentary on sex therapist Ruth Westheimer; when he was promoting his documentary web series The Keepers.[6] White didn't know that much about Westheimer, other than "90-year-old spoke candidly about sex in a thick German accent".[6]

Reception

Box office

On its domestic opening weekend the film grossed $93,128, averaging $895 per location.[7] Upon its general release on 3 May 2019, Ask Dr. Ruth earned $93,128.[8] In its second weekend the film made $47,169, a −49.4% decrease.[8] In the Netherlands, Ask Dr. Ruth was released on 16 August 2019 by Cherry, and grossed $16,600.[1][9] In New Zealand, Ask Dr. Ruth was released on 16 August 2019 by Rialto, and grossed $1,100.[1]

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 7.48/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Like its subject, Ask Dr. Ruth has a breezy charm that's hard to resist – and a message that's as important as it is entertaining".[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[10]

Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "this [Ask Dr. Ruth] film is a compelling, stirring testament to that fact even if it offers up less insight about what makes her tick from the woman herself than one might crave".[11] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "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, including her interviews with Arsenio Hall and Conan O'Brien, who seem alternately delighted and alarmed by her uninhibited sex talk".[12] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "America's favorite diminutive sex therapist gets a crowd-pleasing documentary treatment that traces her life from Holocaust survivor to beloved media figure".[13]

Chance Solem-Pfeifer of the Willamette Week wrote, "Filmmaker Ryan White tries out a half-dozen different documentary approaches—fly-on-the-wall portraiture, media criticism, childhood psychology, staged reunions—and ends up with a film conspicuously less intriguing than its subject".[14] Peter Goldberg of the Slant Magazine wrote, "Ask Dr. Ruth gives a broad overview of the nonagenarian, roughly split into intertwining biographical and thematic strands".[15] Michelle da Silva of the Now wrote, "While White has created an intimate portrait, the doc leaves us asking the question, "Why now?" He doesn't connect his subject to current debates around sex education, women's health and sexual violence".[16]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref(s).
2019 Calgary Underground Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Ryan White Won [17]
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Best Documentary Nominated [18]
Miami International Film Festival Nominated [19]

References
  1. "Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 373. ISBN 9780307483201.
  3. Lutes, Alicia (2019-05-15). "Ask Dr Ruth: interview with iconic sex therapist about her past and her legacy". Stylist. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  4. Ask Dr. Ruth (2019), archived from the original on 2019-08-12, retrieved 2019-09-11
  5. Hedegaard, Erik (30 April 2019). "Shock and Aww: Inside the Mostly Wild and Sometimes Mild Life of Dr. Ruth". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  6. "How 'Ask Dr. Ruth' director Ryan White became 'friends for life' with the 90-year-old sex expert". Los Angeles Times. 2019-06-02. Archived from the original on 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  7. "Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) – Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  8. "Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) – Weekend Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  9. "Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) – International Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  10. Ask Dr. Ruth, retrieved 2019-09-11
  11. "'Ask Dr. Ruth' is a charming but slight portrait of an icon: EW review". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  12. "Review: 'Ask Dr. Ruth' gently examines America's most famous sex therapist". Los Angeles Times. 2019-05-02. Archived from the original on 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  13. "'Ask Dr. Ruth': Film Review | Sundance 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  14. "Your Weekly Roundup of New Movies". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  15. Goldberg, Peter. "Review: Ask Dr. Ruth Is a Loving Tribute That Treads Familiar Ground". Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  16. Silva, Michelle da (2019-04-23). "Hot Docs review: Ask Dr. Ruth". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  17. "Ask Dr. Ruth – Calgary Underground Film Festival". www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  18. "Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  19. "Miami Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
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