Growing up in an evangelical church I was very familiar with the story of Madalyn Murray O’Hair and her signature Supreme Court case that led to the dismissal of prayer in school. And I vaguely remembered her murder in 1995, but did not remember who committed the crime.
So I watched a short film about her life.
Despite a handful of well-known actors, I would give this Netflix original film a B-/C+ because it has a tabloid feel to it and it focuses mostly on her dark side. The storyline is about her kidnapping and murder so it moves forward in an ‘against the clock’ method by counting down the days until her death. Scenes from the motel are used to pull in the backstory of her life — which in many ways, and on many angles, was deeply troubled.
One of the more interesting aspects of the movie was the Rev. Bob Harrington and Madalyn O’Hair debate which was featured on the Phil Donahue show. The pair realized they had a ‘million-dollar idea’ and took the debate on the road — a profitable move for them.
And, as you will learn in the movie, it’s not her atheism that lead to her death. It’s much more American than that — it’s greed.
Bottom Line: Since the film does not delve very deeply into O’Hair’s life, it is perfect for anyone wanting to know the gist of why Life Magazine called her the ‘Most Hated Woman in America’ in 1964.
Charlie R. Claywell 