Netflix has engrossing Adam Scott movie that proves truth is stranger than fiction

Meteoric success is more of a rarity than it seems. J K Simmons had already been a familiar face for almost three decades when he won his long-overdue Oscar for Whiplash, wryly observing he was "an overnight sensation at 60". Severance’s Adam Scott has trodden a similar path.

Now listed by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, he’s been perfecting his craft for more than 30 years, and the last 10 have seen him become one of the most in-demand actors around. And Netflix is currently showing a movie that helped him get there.

A classic example of truth being stranger than fiction, The Most Hated Woman In America (2017) is the story of the rise and fall of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, a vocal anti-religious campaigner and founder of American Atheists.

The combination of her legal battle to remove prayer books from schools and the money she made through her organisation earned her the nickname that gives the film its title.

The movie, however, concentrates mainly on the strange events of 1995, when she, her son Jon and granddaughter Robin were kidnapped and held for ransom. With the police ignoring the demand for $1 million — Murray O’Hair had a history of publicity stunts — it was down to one of her colleagues to investigate, so he approached reporter Jack Ferguson (Scott), who, agreeing that things didn't add up, started running stories about her disappearance.

The bizarre kidnapping also allows us some insight into Murray O’Hair’s past and, with a cast that includes Melissa Leo as the potty-mouthed grandmother of the title, alongside Juno Temple, Peter Fonda and Rory Cochrane, there’s some engaging acting on show.

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Most Hated Woman in America | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube

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Leo, who won an Oscar for The Fighter (2011), is on especially fine form, even if she’s not helped by some clumsy old-age make-up, and for Scott, coming off the back of Parks And Recreation, it was an opportunity to for him to stretch his dramatic talents after a run of comedy roles.

His journalist, who knows he’s on the verge of a big story and doggedly pursues it, despite an unenthusiastic editor, had just the right mix of dedication and cynicism to bring that all-important element of truth to an extraordinary story. Big Little Lies launched some months later.

His latest and biggest hit, Severance, arrived in 2022 and was a favourite with both critics and viewers from the start. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%, the efforts of the office workers at the intimidating Lumon Industries to get to the heart of its unique approach to the work/life balance captured a huge audience.

They tuned in for a second season, which drew to a close just weeks ago with the show having taken over from Ted Lasso as Apple TV Plus's most popular series ever. And a third season was announced just as the end credits rolled.

But mystery is what Severance is all about, so it’s no great surprise that only a limited amount has been revealed about its third outing. And, although followers had to wait three years for season two, it’s a fair assumption they won’t have their patience tested to the same extent by number three.

It does, however, have a reputation for attention to detail, so creator Dan Erickson and his team won’t be in a rush to start production. It’s a reassurance for the fans, as is the knowledge that answers are on the way to the many questions posed in season two’s final episode, "Cold Harbor". Aside from the lingering philosophical conundrums, Mark's (Scott) relationships with his real wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman) and his love interest, Helly R (Britt Lower), were left hanging precariously in the balance.

In a show where the characters are even more important than the mysterious machinations of a big corporate company, who will and will not be returning is the number one question on every fan’s list. The set-up at the end of season two means that many, if not all, of the main cast — Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Tramel Tillman and Patricia Arquette — are more than likely to be back.

The future for Christopher Walken’s Burt and John Tuturro’s Irving is less than clear, even though Tuturro has already indicated he’s hoping to be in the third season. But this is a workplace where loose ends are the norm, so we’ll have to join the Lumon Industries team in waiting to see what comes next.

The Most Hated Woman In America is on Netflix in the US and the UK.

Seasons one and two of Severance are on Apple TV Plus in the UK and the US.