kitellis-98121 What a fabulous film! Based on real events, about which I knew nothing but will shortly be looking up on Wikipedia, this movie features a tour-de-force performance from Melissa Leo as the cranky, eccentric, and heroic central character, in a story which kept me gripped from beginning to end.The film tells the story simply and straightforwardly, without any flashy camerawork or gimmicks of any kind, and it's the better for it. The story doesn't need embellishments, and the director (Tommy O'Haver) wisely doesn't attempt to reinvent the wheel with his filmmaking.However, without the perfectly-pitched performance from Melissa Leo holding it together, this film may not have worked nearly as well. Her acting was a fine balance of over-playing and under-playing, with almost theatrical scenery-chewing mixed brilliantly with more intimate moments of reflection and introspection, creating a central character that was both intriguing and captivating.It's worth mentioning that the script is also magnificent, with dialogue that furthers the narrative effortlessly, peppered with dry humour and sarcastic one-liners and barbs that hit the mark every time.I had never heard of the film, or the lady it's about, but I loved every minute of it, and have been inspired to learn more, so as a movie it both entertained and enlightened me, and that's about as much as can be expected from any film.

kosmasp Of course that's her real name and not the one of the "character" (real life person) she portrays, but it's fitting nevertheless. She won't take anything from anybody, no matter what the point is. And she will stand up for something when others just idly stand by and maybe even just watch what is happening.We go through a lot of history of what happened to this person and how she became a fighter and an atheist. The last fact alone may make her a bad apple for some and put her in a corner she can't recover from. But you know there is a reason for this title of hers (and the movie). Performance is grand and it's really a gripping story, jumping back and forth in time. It works and while not many will be completely satisfied with the work/movie itself, it's really something good, with flaws and all.

annakayfitz The Camera was so shaky I thought there was something was wrong with my eyes. It felt as if it were rushed and thrown together. Almost like the whole movie was a joke. I'm sorry but if your gonna have a Camera Man with Palsy, at least get him a stabilizer rig or something. Apart from the production itself the title was a good attempt at the topic. The topnotch actors were the saving grace of this flick, bringing it up from college film studies mid-term, to a middle of the road Biographical Drama.

steveo122 Melissa Leo is a great actress. Madalyn Murray O'Hair, as presented here, was not a likable person. Coming from the fifties as she did, the ugliness she was subjected to, just as with the civil rights movement, would tend to make anyone re-act like a snarling badger. She was the point of the spear in the fight against the religious tyranny that is, and has always been, right around the corner. The right to say: "I don't believe it and you can't make me." was fought for and should not be taken for granted. A very American story in every detail. In the beginning, I got the feeling it was going to have a 'Coenesque' flavor to it. If the same thought occurs to you, dismiss it. It's a dramatized bio rearranged to feel like a thriller.