The true story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American
​Atheists who was kidnapped along with her son and granddaughter.

BIOPIC/DRAMA

The Most Hated
​Woman in America (2017)

Directed by Tommy O'Haver

Written by Tommy O'Haver and Irene Turner

Starring Melissa Leo, Josh Lucas, Michael Chernus, Juno Temple, Vincent Kartheiser, Adam Scott, Rory Cochrane, Alex Frost

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Connor Eyzaguirre

September 13, 2020

8/10

Biopics continuously lead me to discover new historical events and figures that I had never heard of or learned about. Such is the case with Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the woman who got religion banned from public school. She started this fight in the 1950's, then relocated to Austin, Texas after the people of Baltimore sent her death threats and tried to kill her. O'Hair started American Atheists, where she and her organization fought for the separation of church and state. Being an atheist myself, I sympathize with her uphill battle, and I found myself really liking this portrayal of her life. Then, in 1995, she was kidnapped, along with her son and granddaughter, by a former disgruntled employee. It ended horribly, for all parties.

Melissa Leo stars as O'Hair, and she does a great job straddling the line between sympathetic activist and smug know-it-all, which makes you like the character just enough. Josh Lucas plays the despicable David Waters, the man behind the kidnapping and the man who killed her in the end. Lucas is an actor I'm seeing more and more of with these random streaming picks, and he really sells "scumbag" well. The movie jumps around between the ongoing hostage situation and the most significant moments of O'Hair's life, showing you how a single mother from Baltimore became The Most Hated Woman in America.

This film made no waves when it came out as a Netflix original, and it was critically reviled. I think it deserves a look, mostly because Madalyn Murray O'Hair had the right idea. As much as people may think it is, the United States is not a Christian nation. Separation of church and state is one of the most important principles this nation was founded on. So long as we let God dictate how our government runs things, there will always be problems. O'Hair got the ball rolling and she needs to be remembered for taking a stance like that, sacrificing her entire life in the process, figuratively and eventually quite literally.