Bill Maher’s old television series Politically Incorrect was one of my favorite series and it gave a great platform to Chris Rock and Maher himself.  It was always entertaining and after it was taken off the air due to Maher’s controversial statements (nice job caving in to pressure, ABC), a revamped version called Real Time With Bill Maher started showing on HBO.  Maher started as a stand-up comic and there was always an anti-religion slant to his material.  This really helps viewers going into Religulous, you won’t be going in blind and Maher doesn’t even pretend to be fair and balanced.  He uses a Borat-style of filmmaking (Religulous was even directed by the director of Borat, Larry Charles) and goes from place to place interviewing various religious leaders, televangelists, converted gays, and even a US senator along the way. 

Religulous really ridicules all religions and takes special glee in making fun of some of the biblical tales we all know and love.  It also does a nice job informing us and giving us logical explanations to some impossible to believe scenarios, but that is what faith is all about.  Maher clearly has no time for faith and doesn’t believe its of any use (in most cases) to society.  You can go see Religulous and believe exactly the opposite though.  Unless you’re a religious lunatic, I don’t see this film being that offensive.  The segment on Muslims and Islam is the most sobering and probably the least funny, but its relevant in the times we live and I imagine even republicans will find something to like about that segment, even if their reasons are warped. 

Despite at times being a smug know it all, Maher remains likable the entire way and the film is well-paced and entertaining.  Maher is extremely intelligent and quick-witted, and his smirky grin takes a lot of the sting away from his sometimes barbed commentary on the screwed-up world we all live in.  This is a film that religious people, agnostics, and athiests alike can watch and enjoy.  Maher won’t make you change your mind but he could make you question your faith (blind faith is much worse than having no faith at all, sorry people).  Organized religion seems to be defined by greed and criminal activity.  There’s little of the teachings of Jesus in them any longer and unless you think a televangelist should have private jets and 3,000 dollar suits while his low-income congregation is prodded to give donations to fund his lavish lifestyle.  Maher excels at exposing the hypocrisy inherent in so much of organized religion and Religulous is one of the most entertaining documentaries of the year. 

Film Grade: B+

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