Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her younger doppelganger, Felicity Jones. Image by GETTY IMAGES/FORWARD MONTAGE

“On the Basis of Sex,” the upcoming Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic, dropped its first trailer on Monday. The screenplay for the buzzy movie was written by Daniel Stiepleman, Ginsburg’s real-life nephew.

The feminist pop anthems, high-definition jewel tones, and the 6’5” Ken doll playing Martin Ginsburg might not look familiar to our favorite Supreme Court Justice. But Felicity Jones, the Oscar-winning actress who portrays RBG in the film, is perfect.

In the short clip, Jones nails Bader Ginsburg’s Brooklyn accent and does justice to her quiet tenacity without piling on too much Hollywood flair. The film, helmed by Jewish “Pay It Forward” director Mimi Leder, follows a young Ginsburg as she and her husband attempt to overturn gender discrimination laws before the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

As to the performances of Armie Hammer as Ginsburg’s husband and Kathy Bates as Dorothy Kenyon, the jury is out, though the judge promises to be fair. “On the Basis of Sex” will be released on December 25, the perfect day for you, me, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to head down to the theater and catch a glitzy take on history, before going home and arguing with our families about all of it over Chinese takeout.

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount