Review: "Religulous"

Seen on: October 3, 2008

The players: Director: Larry Charles, Writer: Bill Maher, Cast: Bill Maher, Larry Charles, and many others

Facts of interest: Apparently, Maher and Charles shot hundreds of hours of footage, planning to take what's left and turn it into a TV show. Let's hope they will make it happen.

The plot: Comedian Bill Maher travels around the world interviewing people about religion.

Our thoughts: Love him or hate him, but Bill Maher is not afraid to stand up and speak his mind. That’s exactly why I respect him and his new documentary “Religulous,” in which Maher travels around the world and interviews people about religion. I applaud his efforts because he has the guts to go out there and question (maybe even challenge) the beliefs of millions of people worldwide.

Of course, just because he’s Bill Maher and has a strong opinion on something doesn’t make him right. But maybe he doesn’t even want to go out there and say he’s right. On the contrary, Maher wants to achieve two things with this film: first, he wants to entertain his audience, and second, he urges the non-religious people in this world to stand up and voice their opinion.

In the United States alone, 16 percent of the population is non-religious. That’s quite a number. In fact, that’s a bigger percentage than Jews, Hispanics or African Americans in this country. Sadly enough, you don’t hear these people speak out in public very often, but they are just as much a part of this nation as anyone who follows a religious belief.

Along with director Larry Charles, helmer of the hilarious “Borat,” Maher heads out to investigate why and how people have certainty about their faith, making the case that religion can be something ridiculous just as much as it can be something very dangerous. But don’t worry, he doesn’t solely focus on holy wars and using faith to justify suicides or murder.

By conducting thought-provoking interviews with people of all faiths and no faiths, Maher tries to spread doubt, emphasizing on the very fact that no one can really know whether there is a God. Most of his questions are sharp and sometimes provoking, but he never directly attacks anybody. He merely wants to make people understand that when it comes to religion, it’s all about belief, and not necessarily truth.

Most of the questions Maher asks or the comments he makes about this whole issue are plain hilarious, and most of the answers he gets are even funnier. He’s also someone who has done his research and makes some excellent points open-minded people will welcome with open arms. Interestingly, Maher prepares his arguments well, primarily because he knows what’s in the Bible and because he uses some of the text’s flaws he found to counter the answers he gets from strong believers.

 

The result is a wonderfully entertaining 100-minute documentary filled with big laughs and intelligent discussions. Maher talks to Christian truckers who spend some time in a roadside chapel, and he interviews televangelists, religious store owners, Jews, gay Muslims, scientists, writers and even U.S. senators. On top of that, he also visits a Bible-themed amusement park, Amsterdam, the Vatican, Salt Lake City and Jerusalem.

The absurdities religion can create really come to light in “Religulous,” and it’s thoroughly amusing. That is, if you are one of those 16% percent. Religion has never played any role in my life, so I am definitely a member of his target audience. On a different note, let me point out though that the film is certainly not going to change people’s opinion. People of faith will stick to their faith no matter what, and Bill Maher is certainly not going to change that. And again, he doesn’t even want to change it.

Freaky quote: “No. I'm wrong about everything." – Bill Maher

The final word: With some memorable interviews, awesome questions and a funny selection of archived television and movie footage, Charles’ “Religulous” is one of these deliciously funny documentaries that target a specific group of cinemagoers and will have them enjoy themselves to the fullest extent. Those who believe religion is a crazy thing will have a fantastic time. In a country in which every other film has some kind of religious undertones, it’s great to finally see one that offers the exact opposite: not a search for spiritual guidance, but a search for doubt.

Article by Franck Tabouring