A look into the life inside an open cult, this Theroux doc serves as a warning about where the extremes of religious following can - and all too often do - end up. Why the Westboro Baptist Church concentrate on the 'sins' they do is anybody's guess, but at its heart you get the feeling these folk just love abuse and courting controversy. Yes their views are offensive and I'd be upset if I was attending one of the funerals they picket, but overall (and thankfully) they're a pretty harmless bunch.

Good

This is Louis' most shocking documentary, of the ones I've seen. All right-thinking people, Christians or otherwise, can see that Phelps and his cohorts are maniacs, but the power of ingrained convictions is clearly one of the strongest in the universe. While the various brainwashed people can be extremely depressing, the centerpiece of the docu is Louis' brief meeting with Phelps himself. Phelps is an incredibly abrasive and self-satisfied man, who seems to worship no one but himself.

They are despicable idiots, but they are not very interesting subjects. It could have lasted 10 minutes and we would've gotten as accurate a picture of the most hated family in America.

Wow some people are really f*ing insane. I wouldn't want to come near this deranged family. But it is a well made documentary. The subjects are presented fairly objectively. It is also a bit comical in a dark and twisted way. I mean if you're going to believe something so deeply at least have a plausible explanation as to why it is so, not just some 2000 year-old misinterpreted writings.

Of anthropological interest.

Somebody please kill them already. Burn their house. Lock the doors. Snort their ashes. Dance hard to techno.

Hmm, this is considered a movie as well?

Interesting documentary, though I would've liked to see Louis try to get through to them a bit more.

Theroux is clearly a better man than me, I would most likely have grabbed the wheel to drive this clusterfuck into a wall when they went to Chicago. He, however, didn't. I was actually surprised he didn't. But I was thankful, too - because even though we don't get the narrative pumping an opinion down our throats(As in other docs) we get to learn quite a bunch about the people behind the hate mongering, and having the opportunity to see that there are just people behind the message is comforting

Frightening and sickening

The questions Theroux asks ranges from obvious to innocuous, there's little results gained from any of these 'interviews'; I'm not really certain what journalistic weight Theroux holds. Instead, he acts in true documentary form, trying to show a situation as genuinely as possible. He does succeed at this, and I imagine this is among his best work because the subjects are at their most interesting (if, grotesque) form.

I almost feel bad for having such a good laugh on Phelps account. Obviously, these people aren't mentally healthy. And comparing to nazis they don't even seem dangerous. They are just like IRL trolls, except they actually believe in the crap they are saying.

Pretty telling that most of the documentary focuses on the female family members because the men are too uptight to express themselves. I WONDER WHY.

Really not that insightful and I hate giving these idiots more exposure than they already have but they are so delusional about this fairy tale that they believe in that it becomes strangely fascinating and creepy in its own way. And man, if these people are gonna be in heaven I can't wait to be in hell. Burning for eternity with Hitler and Stalin seems more pleasant than being around these people.

Louis Theroux could have convinced us that the Phelps family is insane and bigoted in just one minute. In sixty, he goes much, much deeper. This could be the most insightful documentary of this decade.

Utterly fascinating.

Amazing documentary if just for the amazing subjects in it. It's such an insight into this utterly deranged "religion" especially the interview with the leader himself. It's so bizarre to think that something like this exists today and is almost completely disheartening the amount of hate they try to spread around and the amount of self-assuredness they have about it and the impact it has on their children. Stunning film.

theroux is a cool guy and this is a well-made docu, but it's not THAT insightful and i could've done with less of theroux's opinions

It's hard to watch, not least because of the Phelps family themselves, but also because Theroux constantly seems to be torn between fading into the background and putting up a weak defence of his own arguments. It's better than a lot of his documentaries, but it still keeps that freak show sensibility that makes it hard to enjoy on its own terms.

Even if there was a God who believed this shit, he wouldn't be worth worshiping. Fred Phelps' rebuttal that Louie is too stupid to understand his answers is telling of their outright refusal to accept anything less than what they believe. I suppose it's something that they have the courage to back their convictions...even if their convictions are facile and anti-human.

I was so blown away in how polite some of the members were in day to day activities. Then you realize the cult they belong to. Louis shouldn't have been so passive as well. Check out the Michael Moore skit were he follows Fred Phelps around the country in a flaming pink, gay bus.

As a companion piece to "Jesus Camp" this examines fanatism Americana style. Theroux does his best to reach his subjects, resulting in him making the exact same mistake as them, assuming that there is a right path from which they have strayed. He shows a human face behind the hatred, but it's all to no avail. These people are out of their minds and their believes cannot be reasoned with, only fought. As such the movie's democratic dispostion fails. But as a freak show it's very entertaining!

Jeg har ondt af familien og hader dem

While Louis' interview with Fred Phelps is quite short and Phelps refuses to answer many questions I believe that says more about his character than any answer he could've given. Theroux interviews many members of Phelps' church who are surprisingly open about their anti-gay and doomsday religion, as well as their personal lives. While I doubt anyone would agree with their religion we are able to see them as people, terribly misguided, but still people nonetheless.