
Ted Haggard had it all: prosperity, a doting wife, five kids and a ministry that reached more than 30 million followers who hung on his every word. But in 2006, it all fell apart in a sea of scandal. Journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi returns to talk with 'Pastor Ted'--whom she met while filming 'Friends of God' for HBO--who was exiled from the church he built and the state where he lived after admitting to 'sexual immorality' and to buying methamphetamines. Following Hagg... (Full plot summary below)
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Ted Haggard had it all: prosperity, a doting wife, five kids and a ministry that reached more than 30 million followers who hung on his every word. But in 2006, it all fell apart in a sea of scandal. Journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi returns to talk with 'Pastor Ted'--whom she met while filming 'Friends of God' for HBO--who was exiled from the church he built and the state where he lived after admitting to 'sexual immorality' and to buying methamphetamines. Following Haggard and his family as they move from house to house and motel to motel, Pelosi interviews the sullied ex-minister as he works as a traveling insurance salesman...and maps out a strategy for redeeming himself and supporting his family.
Leave your thoughts about The Trials of Ted Haggard.
| User ReviewJustin WIf you are like me and find the religious right as fascinating as I do, you are likely to be curious here. Ted Haggard, for all intents and purposes, is the 21st century example of how the mighty have fallen. Starting at the point of his forced exile from New Life, Pastor Ted is followed around as he tries to resolve his broken livelihood and family. For a persona such as Pastor Ted, this documentary feels criminally short. As interesting as it is on it's own, there is a lack of depth here that could possibly be a matter of the Haggard family keeping the filmmaker at arms length. There is a part of me that was hoping to witness Pastor Ted break into tears. With such a prominent past role of preaching against what he apparently is himself, the attempt made at garnering an ounce of sympathy fell way short of the mark. |
| User ReviewJohn MAlexandra Pelosi has an amazing habit of being in the perfect place when documentary gold lands in her lap. But she sacrifices amazing improbable stories to be pals with her subjects. Haggard falls hard and Pelosi works hard to make him sympathetic. It IS a puzzle why Haggard would be so compliant to his former church's edicts. Do they really have the authority to EXILE him from the state of Colorado? And doesn't that contradict central parts of their creed? We certainly get enough decade-old footage of Pastor Ted talking forgiveness: did he embody their beliefs only to be excluded from them? This film is very brief, but you will have tons of questions you wish Pelosi had thought to ask. |
| User ReviewGary Wthis so called (man of god) gets busted doing meth with a male escort !! i'm not churchy but this is an interesting documentry |