Written, directed, and co-produced Janice Engel, the documentary Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins tells the story of media firebrand Molly Ivins. A tall woman of six feet and full of Texas trouble, which took on the Good Old Boy corruption wherever she found it. 

Her razor-sharp wit left both sides of the aisle laughing, and craving ink in her columns. She knew the Bill of Rights was in peril and said: “Polarizing people is a good way to win an election and a good way to wreck a country.” Molly’s words have proved prescient. Now it’s up to us to raise hell. In her home state, the 2019 SXSW Festival awarded the documentary “Audience Award Winner.”

Engel first heard about Ivins over six years ago, “My soon-to-be producing partner, James Egan, told me to go see this one-woman play Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins starring Kathleen Turner. So, I did, the last week it was running in LA. I was knocked out by who Molly Ivins was, how she spoke and who she so brilliantly skewered. Both James and I could not believe there had never been anything done on Molly Ivins, so we jumped in full throttle, and here we are six-plus years later.”

A well-formulated documentary offers a view of a strong woman in a man’s world. She worked hard and bit hard at what she thought was unfair. Engel explains how she came to know this remarkable woman, “I also discovered on a much more personal level that both Molly and I shared a similar trajectory: a deep distrust of patriarchal authority and a need to stand up for the underdog. Her politics are my politics, and as her pal, Kaye Northcott so aptly says, ‘Molly hated anyone who would basically kick a cripple.’ Me too! Her rallying cry to ‘Raise Hell, that… this our deal, this is our country …that those people up in your state capitols, up in Washington, they’re just the people we’ve hired to drive the bus for a while,’ resonates deeply. She said, ‘If you don’t vote, you can’t bitch, that’s in article 27…’ Ya think! That alone cemented our kinship and my overwhelming passion to share her story.”

The movie tells the story of a woman who changed through decades of working as a journalist – not only physically but spiritually. She worked hard, laughed hard, but I could tell her passion or mission in life had taken its toll. But still, her message resonates with me. We need to vote and hold our position in what we believe. As Engle stated, “I am grateful to be able to share Molly Ivins with her ‘beloveds’ but even more important, introducing to a hungry public who needs her humor, brilliance, and prescience. Molly Ivins challenges all of us to take personal responsibility for political and social issues that impact our lives. RAISE HELL: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is a lightning rod to get involved in grassroots projects, local and national politics, and voter registration. If we want change, it starts with us.”

I couldn’t agree more. I highly recommend you see this movie about a strong, smart, and fascinating woman, who communicated what we all think about politics. Though I can’t entirely agree with all of her philosophy, I do agree with her passion. 

“As we continue her fight, let’s all remember her understanding of what works against the Powers-That-Be,” states Engle. 

“The best way to get the sons of bitches is to make people laugh at them.” – Molly Ivins