Underplayed Gems

The Most Hated Family in America (2007)

The Most Hated Family in America poster
Original title
Louis Theroux: The Most Hated Family in America
Directed by
Geoffrey O'Connor
Genre
documentary television film
Country
United Kingdom
Runtime
1h
Rated
12
Rating
7.3 of 10 from 84 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Louis Theroux travels to Kansas to spend time with the Westboro Baptist Church and its leader Fred Phelps. He interviews church members who protest at funerals and condemn homosexuality. The film shows what it is like to be inside this controversial group.

confrontationalunsettlingquietly intenseobservationaltensesoberingcandid

What happens

The Most Hated Family in America is a 2007 BBC documentary film written and presented by Louis Theroux about the family at the core of the Westboro Baptist Church. The organization was led by Fred Phelps and located in Topeka, Kansas. Westboro Baptist Church members believe that the United States government is immoral due to its tolerance of homosexuality; in addition, they protest at funerals of U.S. military killed in action with signs that display text such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" (which is shown in the film). With a BBC film crew, Theroux travelled to Kansas to spend time with members of the church and interview its leadership. Theroux interviews church leadership including Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper. The documentary first aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom in April 2007. The documentary was a ratings success in its initial airing, beating simultaneous programming for BBC One for the 9pm hour. It was broadcast again on BBC Two later that month, and Seven Network purchased the programme for airing in Australia in August 2007 and again in April 2008. It aired in May 2008 on TV3 and Seven Network, and multiple times in June 2008 on the television channel Dave. It aired again on BBC Two in December 2008 and in February 2010 in Ireland on 3e. A DVD-box-set including the documentary and other Theroux programmes was released in January 2009; The Independent placed the DVD release as number eight among its list of "The 50 Best DVD boxsets". The Most Hated Family in America received a positive reception, with four-star ratings from the Daily Record. It was recommended in reviews as a critic's choice by The Independent, The Times, Financial Times, The Age, and the Herald Sun. A review in the Leicester Mercury noted of Theroux's interview techniques, "His subtle interviewing style was perfect for showing off the crazy views of the members." The documentary was highlighted in The Sydney Morning Herald among "The week's best", and characterised as, "Disturbing, perplexing and very entertaining." A follow-up documentary by Theroux, America's Most Hated Family in Crisis, was first broadcast on BBC Two on 3 April 2011. In 2019, Theroux made another follow-up, Surviving America's Most Hated Family, essentially creating a trilogy of documentaries based on the church. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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