Religulous (R, 2008)

In RELIGULOUS, stand-up comic/political commentator Bill Maher travels the world to talk about the topic of religious faith in the modern world -- and to ask if religious faith is, in fact, incompatible with the modern world. Directed by Larry Charles (Borat), Religulous follows Maher as he asks blunt, pointed questions of people of faith to challenge their ideas and beliefs, discussing his own personal journey from faith to disbelief along the way. Religulous is hardly a one-man show, nor is it a conventional documentary; Charles loops in film clips, commercials, and behind-the-scenes moments to create a random, raucous journey through the ideas of both religion and atheism.

Religulous is bolder and blunter than most documentaries; at the same time, there's no pretense of impartiality on Maher or Charles' part, and some of the movie's subjects -- like a Florida pastor who claims to be the literal second coming of Christ or a resident of Amsterdam who's founded a church based on using marijuana to enter transcendent states and better divine the will of God -- provide Maher with more than enough rope to hang themselves with every time they open their mouths to talk about their ideas. Regardless of how you feel about religion and belief, it's easy to agree that the film seems to dwell a little heavily on these extreme cases, but Maher seems to delight in showing these folks on the fringes. You could, of course, argue that Maher's simply trying to demonstrate that all religions are extreme cases -- but a little of Maher's tactics go a long way.

But while you're watching the film, you may be laughing too hard to think deeply about Maher's agenda -- his razor-sharp sense of timing has been honed by years on the stand-up circuit, and he's well equipped to go for the jugular and the funnybone at the same time. And some of the segments -- like a tour of a Creation Museum or a visit to a Florida theme park called "The Holy Land Experience" -- are as funny as they are confrontational. Charles also contributes; just as in Borat, there are even brilliant subtitle gags in Religulous, and as the film's mood switches from silly to serious, Charles makes sure that the shifts are smooth. Religulous also doesn't try to argue people of faith out of their beliefs, but instead encourages nonbelievers to step up and speak out. Religulous is guaranteed to be controversial, but Maher and Charles' efforts also ensure that there's more than just hype behind their film.

Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Larry Charles
Cast: Bill Maher, Francis Collins, Steve Burg
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 101 minutes
Theatrical release: October 1, 2008
DVD release: February 17, 2009
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: some language and sexual material.