Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

rzajac This is an example of the best that a documentary film can be.It has an "on-the-fly" sort of feel, but you realize as it rolls out that a lot of pains were taken.It's hard to imagine someone doing a better job of capturing on film the amazing phenomenon which is this peculiar species of religiosity finding full, unalloyed expression in this church family. As a teenager, I dabbled in fundamentalism, and the most amazing thing was how I found this film to be nostalgic. People may watch this and thank god such folks are in such a tiny, inbred minority, but they'd be jumping to a self-satisfied conclusion. The specific, extreme behaviors of the Phelps clan may be isolated to the Phelpses, but the underlying subservience to doctrinal purity on display is way, way more prevalent in American society than is comfortable to admit.For example, we're treated to the spectacle of a tiny kid who quite painfully, obviously doesn't really know what the heck he's picketing. This may shock you... but guess what? If you're reading this in America, there is, probably within about 30km of where you're sitting right now, a church where they're planning or enacting a "baptism" ritual on kids who are too young to have the foggiest what they're really doing. That's not all that far-flung from what you see happening to kids in this flick.*** SPOILER AHEAD *** Perhaps the most amazing thing is how Theroux finds a chink in Fred Phelps' armor. He asks Phelps, "How many children do you have?" and Phelps adroitly--or so he thinks--shrugs it off as unprofessional and irrelevant. But come to find out, it was a theological question after all--and Phelps dodged it. Furthermore, he dodges it by retreating behind a facade of stony, patriarchal isolationism. So, maybe there's hope for the old man, after all! One begins to suspect that the flinty hearted man of doctrinal exactitude act is just a shtick, and it could be a matter of time before he comes around and learns to accept and love again.Perhaps that's the moral of the story--but I wouldn't bet on it. The greatest likelihood is that he'll go down cursing.

Anthony Pittore III (Shattered_Wake) Originally, due to a deep and endless hatred of Fred Phelps and his congregation, I didn't think I would be able to watch this film without punching a hole through the TV or tearing my hair from my head. But, I was in a good mood (which I increased more by a few pints of Boddington's), so I figured I should give it a watch and see if I can get through it.Funnily enough, I don't think I even needed a mood boost. While, yes, the Phelps are a truly despicable and condemnable family and Fred Phelps is one of the few men that I would personally no problem wishing death upon, British journalist Louis Theroux presents these horrible people in such a way that seamlessly blends their disgusting hatred with some smooth and hilarious humour.Regardless of the humour and comedy that is sewn into the film, it is difficult to watch (especially to those who vary from their opinions. . . which is about 99.8% of people I've met) and takes some self-control to handle the issues. Theroux does a fantastic job of fairly allowing the Phelps family to speak their minds about the issues without seeming smug or mean, and makes it clear that while is obviously against their message, he wants them to have a fair chance to express themselves.To anyone looking for an interesting documentary, regardless of your views, I highly suggest this one.Final Verdict: 9/10 -AP3-

MartinHafer This was a wonderful documentary for British television about the Reverend Fred Phelps' family and their crusade to make pretty much everyone outside their sick little cult hate them! I say wonderful because while these are very vile people, the interviewer manages to come off as very decent and caring towards some of the most unlovable and nasty people on Earth! He is able to put a human side on the group and extensively interviews Phelps family members. Fred himself is mostly absent from this documentary (for more of him, try watching FALL FROM GRACE) because he was just so incredibly surly and rude that getting more than a smattering of abuse was all the poor interviewer could arrange!! The Phelps cult, if you are unaware of them, is from Topeka, Kansas and is world famous for their hateful protests--most notably, at soldiers' funerals but also at churches, synagogues and the like across America. Their protests consist of holding up very hateful signs indicating that God is happy that Americans die because we and the rest of the world tolerate homosexuality (in other words, because gays aren't killed outright by society, God will destroy us). Within their tiny cult of about 60 members, there is no mention of God being a God of love or forgiveness. Instead, He is all wrath and hate--and their signs are full of provocative phrases such as "God Hates America" or "Thank God for IEDs". Lovely sort of people, huh?! But the documentary goes beyond just portraying their sick message by trying to humanize, somewhat, the family and show the emotional and psychological toll this message of hate has upon them--and in particular, the children. Fascinating and a great insight into some scary and thoroughly despicable people. I really commend the crew and especially Louis Theroux for a remarkable and exciting documentary.

movieman_kev One thing I got out of this documentary about the small group of wrong-minded hateful cultish people of the Westboro Baptist Church. A group that constantly rails against Homosexuals, the military, and America in general, was not hatred of them, but a feeling of great sadness especially for the little children of the flock, who have absolutely no clue what it's all about yet, but are still indoctrinated enough that one can feel that none of them have a chance in life anymore. Documentarian Louis Theroux does a remarkable job staying semi-objective while still trying to open some of the groups eyes a little. Not seen in the film proper, but as an appendum on the BBC site, Theroux shares a story of how during a picketing of a milittary man's funeral, the members of this group, told the daughter of the man that just had died, that her father is now in hell. That is a very good barometer of how evil these people truly are.