`CITIZEN RUTH' EVENLY IRREVERENT ON ABORTION.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic

With something to offend every sensibility and a starring performance by Laura Dern that asks for no sympathy and absolutely takes no prisoners, ``Citizen Ruth'' may seem like the boldest social comedy of the decade.

In truth, this very funny, scathingly irreverent farce does have a certain boldness to it. But even at its most brutal, the film maintains a democratic evenhandedness that some may view as a cop-out. One can't imagine, though, how the film could be more partisan and still be as hilarious.

The subject is abortion. The object is one Ruth Stoops, quite possibly the most irresponsible woman on the planet. An aggressively stupid, chemical-fumes addict - whenever she can bum a few bucks, she heads straight for a hardware store, buys a can of spray paint and inhales its contents out of a paper bag - Ruth has four children by four different fathers farmed out around the greater Omaha area.

In jail on her umpteenth public intoxication charge, Ruth discovers that she's pregnant for the fifth time. The fed-up judge indicates that he might go easy on her if she doesn't bring another ward of the state into the world. That night, however, a group of abortion protesters are locked up with Ruth. One of them, Gail Stoney (Mary Kay Place from the old ``Mary Hartman'' show), puts up the indigent's bail, offers her refuge in her comfortable Christian home and plots with her husband, Norm, (Kurtwood Smith) to turn Ruth into a media martyr.

That is, of course, if they can convince Ruth not to have the abortion the state and Ruth both want. After an inevitable indiscretion behind the local Ace outlet, our heroine finds herself in the supposedly safe care of some abortion-rights lesbians. But then she gets wind that the anti-abortion people will donate thousands of dollars to help her raise the baby. Suddenly, motherhood looks a lot more attractive. Unless, of course, the abortion-rights advocates can top the anti-abortionists' bid ...

Director and co-writer Alexander Payne portrays both factions in the abortion debate as equally self-serving, hypocritical and coercive. Aided immensely by Dern's feisty, junkyard dog performance, he manages to get us on Ruth's side simply because, nasty a piece of work as she is, the woman at least has a better idea of her own best interests than does anyone who claims to be helping her.

That may just boil down to the crude basics of greed and not wanting to be exploited for anyone else's agenda. But hey, what could be more American?

While the caricatures of both conservative fundamentalists and politics-playing feminists are unerringly cruel, you've got to admire Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor's determination to have such vicious fun with the most divisive issue in contemporary society. ``Citizen Ruth'' carries on a valuable tradition of American satire - that's all too rarely attempted these days - by deflating passionate arguments with withering humor.

At the same time, ``Citizen Ruth'' is very mid-'90s. It's just an educated guess, but I'd reckon most of the people responsible for the movie are abortion-rights proponents. Their stabs at equal opportunity ridicule here remind you of the blandly moderate stands candidates of both parties took during the recent election season.

Except that there's nothing bland or boring about ``Citizen Ruth.'' It should rile up many and entertain quite a few. And for some, it'll do both at the same time.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Citizen Ruth'' (R; substance abuse, sex, language, nudity, mild violence).

Behind the scenes: Directed by Alexander Payne. Written by Payne and Jim Taylor. Produced by Cary Woods and Cathy Konrad. Released by Miramax Films.

Running time: One hour, 45 minutes.

Playing: Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Goldwyn Pavilion, West L.A.

Our rating: Three Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Kelly Preston, left, Laura Dern and Swoosie Kurtz in the abortion issue send-up ``Citizen Ruth.''