Reception The Most Hated Family in America

1 reception

1.1 response organization
1.2 release , ratings
1.3 critical reception

reception
response organization

the westboro baptist church appreciated attention organisation received documentary, , added citation film on website. shirley phelps-roper stated had 1 regret documentary: if had called it, hated family in world . washington post reported, in last hours of last days, explained, jesus said chosen hated men.

on april 8, 2007, fred phelps sr preached sermon addressing louis theroux directly , personally, accusing theroux of taking cheap unfair advantage of young women in church, , trying embarrass them chastity. phelps stated theroux contrives , manipulates interviews , accusing him of feigning naivety on camera.

release , ratings

the hated family in america aired on bbc 2 on 1 april 2007. guardian characterised performance ratings hit . film received 19 percent of viewership between 9pm 10pm hour, , beat programming bbc 1 same time period. documentary received 4.3 million viewers while programme aired @ same time on bbc 1 drew 1.8 million viewers. hated family in america again aired on bbc 2 on 4 april 2007.

in august 2007, 7 network of australia purchased package of programmes bbc including hated family in america , 2 other specials theroux: under knife , gambling in las vegas. in april 2008, 7 network purchased hated family in america , same 2 other programmes bbc, additional 2 documentaries theroux added: behind bars , african hunting holiday. in may 2008, documentary aired on tv3. documentary aired in australia on 7 network in may 2008. aired again in uk on 21 , 26 june 2008 on television channel dave. documentary aired again on bbc 2 on 18 december 2008.

in january 2009, hated family in america released part of dvd boxed set in pal region 2 format, along african hunting holiday, under knife, behind bars, , gambling in las vegas. titled, louis theroux: strange , dangerous, dvd set received four-out-of-four-star recommendation daily record. in february 2009, independent placed dvd release number 8 among list of 50 best dvd boxsets , , characterised hated family in america strangest episode of set, , far disturbing . documentary aired in ireland on 10 february 2010 on 3e , given four-out-of-four star recommendation mail on sunday.

critical reception

writing times, journalist david chater highlighted hated family in america among selections chater s choice . chater commented, louis theroux undertakes ugliest assignment date. chater concluded, theroux deploys logic , charm find humanity beneath rhetoric, fails. difficult reason people think holding placard proclaiming jews worship rectum courteous , loving thing do. film highlighted in liverpool echo sunday s: pick of day . peter grant of liverpool echo commented, louis theroux took trip kansas documentary, hated family in america. profile of westboro baptist church, home of america s fanatical christian fundamentalists, astonishing. karl french of financial times selected film critic s choice . french wrote positively of documentary, after painting himself oddball- documentary corner few years back, theroux wisely took long break, , s come refreshed, confirmed film. in way reveals comic horror inherent in forms of zealotry, every bit compelling theroux s recent vegas documentary. mail on sunday critic tom cox rated documentary 4 out of 4 stars. cox wrote of theroux, attempts challenge beliefs of phelps clan – 71-strong congregation picket military funerals america doomed signs – , fuddle them nature , erudition impressive, futile attempt teach cat algebra.

writing scotsman, andrea mullaney articulated, theroux had found ultimate in weirdness latest documentary – re beyond point of reason, self-perpetuating psychosis, no matter how tried, couldn t challenge beamingly-delivered pronouncements, or trip them up. did manage show them human beings (more courtesy extend sinners). hilary fannin of irish times commented airing of documentary, saw louis theroux, in hated family in america, shatter redneck american target, westboro baptist church . in review of documentary sunday times, roland white discussed theroux s stylistic technique, theroux s usual technique – friendly ingenue – made absolutely no impact on these people. watching youngster village cricket team trying bowl out geoff boycott, , began wonder theroux hoping achieve. impossible out–argue religious bigot. have impeccable logic on side: word of god righteous truth; understand true word of lord; therefore, right , else wrong. liverpool daily post recommended film in column, sunday: watch . writing birmingham mail, graham young observed, hated family in america best documentary louis since long before michael jackson fiasco. john dugdale of sunday times highlighted film pick of day . dugdale wrote favorably of film, there echoes of theroux s film woman raising daughters neo-nazis watches phelps daughter, shirley, handing out placards kids young seven. while tangling , dad pointless, family s younger women less inflexible, , encounters them more rewarding. review in leicester mercury noted of theroux s interview techniques, subtle interviewing style perfect showing off crazy views of members.

writing in independent, cathy pryor declared, louis theroux out-oddballed week subject of latest documentary ... astonishingly, theroux makes feel sympathy them , price pay being way are. thomas sutcliffe of independent posited viewers ...[left] wondering, after hour, whether phelps hadn t got bit more out of louis. aren t representative of themselves, after all, , rejoice in world s detestation. had nothing lose being held ridicule, , gained want – bigger audience insane rantings. writing daily record, paul english wrote favorably, journalist in me marvels @ yet more great work theroux. human in me mourns gave appalling family want. shiny badge of notoriety... review in irish independent critical of giving coverage group, theroux tried teenage daughters deviate standard family line weren t budging inch. end result group of loathsome people spend every second of lives trying attract free publicity got whole hour of courtesy of bbc. ah, joys of public service television. writing observer, kathryn flett critical of choice of title documentary, commenting, hated family in america? says who? louis theroux? bbc2? ooh, don t sweeping statement of documentary title. not family comprise majority of 71 congregants of westboro baptist church of topeka, kansas, aren t appalling, title infers family hated americans, when doubt americans have faintest idea are. mike bradley of observer commented film, shock doc, easy target theroux.

in review melbourne, australia newspaper, age, larry schwartz selected documentary critic s choice . schwartz critical of theroux s lack of detachment subject matter, repeatedly distances himself church, expressing disapproval of views. concerned he, seems evangelical in determination show them error of ways. documentary highlighted in sydney morning herald among week s best , , critic greg hassall characterised as, disturbing, perplexing , entertaining. australia newspaper mx highlighted documentary favorably, in column, best in show . cameron adams of herald sun selected hated family in america top choice recommendation. adams wrote, disturbing, disgusting , sad documentary. repellent shirley phelps outspoken nutbag got publicity calling heath ledger fag enabler after death. jaw-dropping doco infiltrates phelps only-in-america church 11 spooky kids regularly picket funerals of soldiers killed in iraq – believe god killed them show hatred of how depraved america is.