Excellent documentary on a Texan original, political journalist Molly Ivins.
I remember getting acquainted with Molly Ivins back in 1999, when I was working the cash register at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in College Station, Texas. It was a really slow night, and I picked up her book "Shrub," which was her rather scathing reporting on then-Texas governor/soon-to-be president George W. Bush. It was erudite, ruthless, and hilarious. And after watching Raise Hell, I realized that those same three adjectives described Ivins herself.
There are very few people who really are memorable characters and wordsmiths in the great American tradition. Alexander Hamilton. Thomas Jefferson. Mark Twain. And while Molly Ivins may not have quite reached the heights and reach of those titans of the written word, she wasn't far from it. She was big (literally and figuratively), bold, and brash in all of the best ways. So when she settled in Texas, bringing her immense intelligence, acumen, and wit, it was a perfect fit.
This documentary pulls together a ton of great testimonials from friends, colleagues, high-level politicians, and even a few of the adversaries who ended up in her cross-hairs. They all paint the portrait of a person who was scary smart, had firm ideals, and could drink any other three people under the table.
Any description of such a person will always beg the question, "Were they really like that, or are we just embellishing the life of one deceased." Well, since Ivins was around in modern times and was publicly successful, there's plenty of video footage of her so that you can judge for yourself. The video clips of her opining at conferences, on TV news shows, and during interviews makes for a great compilation of her excessively witty, articulate, and sometimes downright vicious manner.
People who didn't grow up in Texas, the Southwest or the South may be less familiar with Ivins. But I guarantee that when they see this, they will be very likely to ask themselves why they hadn't heard of her before this. When you see the figures she boldly (and almost always righteously) skewered and got reactions out of, you'll wish she had lived much longer than she did. And given just how relevant her perspective and notions still are today, hers is a viewpoint and talent that is sorely missed.
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