THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN AMERICA

Melissa Leo     Josh Lucas     Adam Scott     Brandon Mychal Smith     Vincent Kartheiser

Juno Temple     Peter Fonda     Sally Kirkland     Rory Cochrane     Alex Frost

     Hatred in America; it seems to be a running theme in its history.  It spans across racial/cultural (blacks and Native Americans), religious (witch trials), and political (Communism) realms from its earliest days.  This is a dramatization of one of those instances against an atheist, Madelyn Murray O’Hair, (Leo) that occurred in the 1990’s.  It should be said at the outset that most people saw the woman as difficult—and the film shows this very well. We see Madelyn first as a young woman living at home in a contentious relationship with her Baptist father.  Each would try to out-curse the other in expressing their antipathy toward the other.  We only see this when she is already grown, so do not know what circumstances brought her to such a rebellious attitude toward religion.

     She was apparently difficult to handle from childhood, and when the film opens to a family meal, we learn that she has had an illegitimate child and is pregnant with another.  Her explanation is that the fathers abandoned her, reaffirming her low opinion of men in general.  On the other hand, she appears to be devoted to her children, albeit in rather controlling and demanding ways, which comes back to haunt her later. 

     As O’Hair continues to fight for her children’s rights at school (their Constitutional right of free speech and religious freedom), she is successful in getting laws passed to that effect, but this is at great cost to her and her children.  Hatred is expressed toward them for years, including death threats, so when they go missing in 1995, no one seems to care.  Moreover, the police and some of Madelyn’s acquaintances are suspicious that she is simply repeating earlier stunts of purposely disappearing and turning up later. 

     This time is different, though, because, reasons her live-in assistant Roy Collier, her door is not locked, her dogs are left untended, her passports are found in a drawer, and breakfast is still on the table.  At this time, O’Hair has moved to San Antonio, Texas, and established the American Atheist Center, another move that brought more ill will from the predominantly Christian community. 

    When a local reporter, Jack Ferguson, hears about the situation, he contacts Billy, O’Hair’s estranged son, and Roy.  When he is persistent with his editor in getting permission to pursue the story and gather relevant data, he finds that rather than hatred, the motivation to kidnap O’Hair, her younger son, and granddaughter who lived with her, is greed, someone like David Waters wanting a share of donations to the Center.

     The film, written and directed by Tommy O’Haver, is an objective account of a significant, colorful figure in America’s history who garners little approbation for her political efforts, despite their far-reaching implications and the substance of which, the majority of contemporary Americans would ascribe to.  Although the film is a timely resurfacing of the issues, it may not garner much support for  O’Hair herself, partly because of the current religio-political divide, but in part simply because of her abrasive personality. The production could have been improved by giving us more insight into how she developed her atheistic beliefs early on in her life.

     In sum,The Most Hated Woman in America is a timely and helpful account of the woman behind two important landmarks in American history that reinforce our basic human rights.  Melissa Leo is up to her standard fine performance, along with an excellent supporting cast, particularly Josh Hartnett, Adam Scott, and Brandon Mychal Smith.

A timely reminder of how two of our basic rights were guaranteed by the untiring efforts of a complex, divisive figure in American history.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN

Bill Pullman     Jim Caviezal     Tommy Flanagan     Kathy Baker     Peter Fonda     Diego Josef

     After years of being overshadowed by his friends and considered to be a little dim, Lefty (Bill Pullman) is being left in charge of his life-long friend Eddie’s (Fonda) ranch in Montana.  He is intimidated by the prospect, and tries to refuse, but Eddie insists, and gives him what looks like his own very special gun.  Eddie is on his way to the Senate in Washington, D.C.  His wife Laura (Baker) is not happy at all about Lefty being in charge, and also tries to talk her husband out of it.  Just before they’re scheduled to leave, though, ranch hands notify Eddie that three of his horses have been stolen.  Not heeding his wife’s pleas to take a crew of men with him, he takes off with only Lefty to pursue the thieves.  There is a tragedy, and Lefty is determined to avenge his old friend, despite seeing himself as “a man who never got anything right in 60-odd years.”

     What follows is in the tradition of westerns in general, when individual citizens take it upon themselves to mete out justice however they see fit.  There is some talk of legal trials and judges, but it’s often only given lip service.  On the contrary a man might be hanged on the spot after a few decide he’s guilty.  One of the reasons Lefty doesn’t quite fit into the community is that he seems to be a pacifist.  He works very hard not to kill someone he’s captured—a rather odd motif in a western movie.  This offsets to some extent my revulsion in seeing the ubiquitous gun-toting cowpokes take matters in their own hands, especially when at one point people have decided that Lefty himself has committed a major crime. 

     Four men in town have been friends for many years.  Jimmy is the governor of the state; Eddie is a highly respected rancher with Lefty as his sidekick, and Tom is the U.S. Marshal.  The drama has twists and turns, shoot-outs, and a young man showing up with romantic notions of the wild west and burning to be a part of it.  Lefty’s good nature is apparent in his finally relenting to mentor Jeremiah and allow him in the group.  In the end, a major plot is uncovered which is shocking to all involved.

     Pullman is the heart of this film and artfully portrays his character as layered; on the surface, just a simple man, but having much more wit and sensibility than he is given credit for.  Some of his best is when he is telling western stories to the young Jeremiah.  Lefty seems always to have been in the shadow of his more dominant friends.  Jim Caviezal’s character is likewise an interesting inclusion into a western as a suave, literature quoting mannered man.  He, too, seems out of place in such a town, like Lefty, although for a different reason.  Tommy Flanagan and Kathy Baker deftly play characters who are not so admirable or thoughtful.  A refreshing part of the story is Diego Josef’s character, Jeremiah, who is earnest and a typical teenager just learning the way of the world and eager to make his mark.  I wish more of his story had been included; we’re never informed about why he is out in the wild on his own with no horse after his got bitten by a snake and had to be put down.

     Writer/director/producer Jared Moshe’s background is primarily as a producer, but his Ballad is engaging, beautifully filmed (David McFarland, cinematographer), and has a few twists in what is basically a traditional western. 

A ballad for a man who finds himself later in life and can be proud of what he proves.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland