Watch Fall from Grace For Free

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

While there's a lot of repetition in this documentary, it's valuable primarily for it's access to the Phelps family who have no hesitation to speak their beliefs. It's often easy to dismiss bigotry as ignorance, but here we see it serves other purposes. The need to hate outwardly masks an inward deficit which permits that deficiency to go unaddressed. The filmmakers let a lot slide by: allegations of abuse, the circumstances for the Phelps' disbarment, the tax benefits of being a church when only your family are members, the misuse/misquotation of scripture to name a few.While its useful to have the Phelps speak for themselves, those who counter their arguments aren't nearly as passionate or convincing (I agree with them, but their statements aren't developed by the filmmaker). The two most chilling moments come from family members themselves. There are taped telephone conversations about why two of the children left their family, and the analysis of their father's "issues" seemed very accurate. And the older children who will carry forward their father's legacy are so one-dimensional in their hatred that it borders on madness.The use of the family's placards becomes plodding and repetitious. More effective is when the grandchildren (roughly 8 or 9) are asked which signs are their favorite to carry at their pickets around the World. While most children will recite various Biblical passages as their "favorite" and would be unable to elaborate further what those passages meant, these children recite hate speech which is deeply shocking, but of course they are unable to elaborate what those slogans really mean. But I also found that their parents really couldn't do much more to explain their hatred. Their vehement denunciation of homosexuality and the government was just as lacking as their relationship to and understanding of themselves and the world at large.

This documentary is about one of the most despicable and evil men living in America today. The Reverend Fred Phelps is a leader of a small cult in Kansas that has risen to national prominence due to their protests of funerals and churches--with its followers holding up placards that are mostly too offensive to list here on IMDb! Among the mildest of them is "God Hates America" and "Thank God for IEDs". The group takes sick pleasure in offending and makes no effort to actually convert. Their message is that God hates pretty much everyone and that THE message of the Bible is God's wrath and all-consuming hatred of everything about the US, Sweden, Ireland, Mexico and, well, pretty much EVERYONE but the 60-some members of his odd little hate filled church.The documentary features many interviews with Phelps and his clan. It also features many interviews with community leaders, ministers and phone interviews with two of Phelps' own children who have left the cult and talk about the abusive nature of their clan.About the only aspects of the film I didn't particularly care for were some quotes from other ministers (such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson). While their views on homosexuality might offend some, they never in their worst days came close to the evil hatred-spewing methods of Phelps and his smug followers, so playing the "moral equivalency card" seems inappropriate.For a slightly more succinct and more interesting view of the Phelps cult, try watching the one hour British documentary "The Most Hated Family in America". While featuring far less of Phelps himself (he was too surly and hate-filled when they tried interviewing him so they had little footage of this maniac in action), they let the kids in the cult do a lot more talking and the film maintained a tighter focus--as a few of the interviews from FALL FROM GRACE seemed a tad weak.

What could be more perfect than a culture clash between the inflexible biblical fundamentalists of Westboro Baptist Church and the knee-jerk worshipers of the death dealing American war machine? Such is the subject of this fascinating if too brief look at the exploits of the lunatic Rev. Fred Phelps and his clan of angry and twisted offspring, who picket military funerals and believe American troops should die for the sin of gay civil rights. It's hard to know who's worse: the picketers, who spout the most venomous sentiments whilst desecrating funeral ceremonies that, regardless of one's opinions about the military or war, should be respected as private ceremonies; or those like Sean Hannity (oh irony of ironies) who would take away the Phelps' constitutional right to express themselves. In fact, much of the anti-Phelps commentary in this film is gleaned from Fox News, whose right-wing talking heads are probably appalled that Fred Phelps and co. have torn away the smiley face mask and revealed the wormy interior at the heart of the American 'conservative' movement. A remarkable and revealing document in more ways than one.

I cannot imagine anyone concerned with civil rights that is not aware of the Phelps family and Westboro Baptist Church, yet they did not hit my radar until they had been protesting for a few years. It was their appearance at the Matthew Shepard funeral that brought them to my attention. Their protests at the funerals of fallen soldiers in Iraq brought them to the attention of most Americans.My generation is used to hate-mongers. We have had Hitler and Stalin. We have preachers like Robertson, Dobson, Fallwell and others, but no one is above Fred Phelps in his pure hatred of anyone who does not agree with him. It is hard to understand what motivates such people. My personal feeling is that they were probably not breastfed. Just a theory, but it is probably as good as any.K. Ryan Jones put together enough footage to give us some insight into what drives Phelps, but he cannot know the complete picture. The anger inside this man in put forth by his own words, the words of his children and grandchildren, and the fact that he has managed to alienate all who come into contact with him to the point that he was disbarred and had to turn to hating gays, lesbians, and trans-gendered, or "fags" as he calls them to have an outlet for his anger.You hear from his own children who have escaped the physical abuse they endured growing up, and you see the new generation of grandchildren who are indoctrinated to hate without understanding what it is that they hate. His children are like Nike, they tell their children to "Just do it." Anyone who is interested in civil rights, and combating hatred in American should check this film out. It is currently getting wide play on Showtime.