Parents' Guide to Lilly

Lilly Ledbetter is a fierce, focused, feminist force—if only her biopic was equally fantastic. Clarkson does her part, crafting an authentic depiction of a real woman who defines the word "tenacity" and at the same time is only looking for fairness. Writer-director Rachel Feldman successfully communicates all that Lilly had to overcome (although you also get the feeling that what's shown on-screen is only a smidge of the sludge she had to push through). Watching clips of RBG explaining Lilly's experience helps differentiate Lilly from other biopics, driving home that this working-class warrior's accomplishment was impressive to even the most powerful and accomplished U.S. leaders.

What the film lacks is the sizzle that Lilly clearly has herself. No doubt, her experiences were far more than could fit in a single feature film, and Feldman had to narrow things down. But questions arise, like why Lilly's son leaves home and refuses to talk to his mom for decades. Since that relationship is included, audiences deserve a little more information about it. In fact, all of the supporting characters are pretty one-dimensional. Still, while the film is imperfect, Lilly's drive for gender equity for all women is well worth watching, and evidence that while there's still a long way to go, as the saying goes, we've come a long way, baby.