Dreadfully Boring

Absolutely brilliant

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

What a fabulous film! Based on real events, about which I knew nothing but will shortly be looking up on Wikipedia, this movie features a tour-de-force performance from Melissa Leo as the cranky, eccentric, and heroic central character, in a story which kept me gripped from beginning to end.The film tells the story simply and straightforwardly, without any flashy camerawork or gimmicks of any kind, and it's the better for it. The story doesn't need embellishments, and the director (Tommy O'Haver) wisely doesn't attempt to reinvent the wheel with his filmmaking.However, without the perfectly-pitched performance from Melissa Leo holding it together, this film may not have worked nearly as well. Her acting was a fine balance of over-playing and under-playing, with almost theatrical scenery-chewing mixed brilliantly with more intimate moments of reflection and introspection, creating a central character that was both intriguing and captivating.It's worth mentioning that the script is also magnificent, with dialogue that furthers the narrative effortlessly, peppered with dry humour and sarcastic one-liners and barbs that hit the mark every time.I had never heard of the film, or the lady it's about, but I loved every minute of it, and have been inspired to learn more, so as a movie it both entertained and enlightened me, and that's about as much as can be expected from any film.

Of course that's her real name and not the one of the "character" (real life person) she portrays, but it's fitting nevertheless. She won't take anything from anybody, no matter what the point is. And she will stand up for something when others just idly stand by and maybe even just watch what is happening.We go through a lot of history of what happened to this person and how she became a fighter and an atheist. The last fact alone may make her a bad apple for some and put her in a corner she can't recover from. But you know there is a reason for this title of hers (and the movie). Performance is grand and it's really a gripping story, jumping back and forth in time. It works and while not many will be completely satisfied with the work/movie itself, it's really something good, with flaws and all.

The Camera was so shaky I thought there was something was wrong with my eyes. It felt as if it were rushed and thrown together. Almost like the whole movie was a joke. I'm sorry but if your gonna have a Camera Man with Palsy, at least get him a stabilizer rig or something. Apart from the production itself the title was a good attempt at the topic. The topnotch actors were the saving grace of this flick, bringing it up from college film studies mid-term, to a middle of the road Biographical Drama.

Unfortunately this movie is at best only mediocre, at worst a poor job of telling a fascinating story. The actress Melissa Leo is absolutely MISCAST as Murray-O'Hair and suffers through the part unable to capture the essence of a complicated, disturbed, and controversial woman. I looked forward to this movie but watch it with disappointment. I wish a more thorough detailed story could have been told about Madalyn Murray-O'Hair. Better than nothing but that's not saying much!