DVDpendence . videophile
RELIGULOUS
With
Bill
Maher
Written
by Bill
Maher
Directed
by Larry
Charles
Religion
(in
all
of its
denominations)
gets
taken
for
granted
as a
natural
part
of life.
When
analyzed
by someone
like
the
sharp
satirist
Bill
Maher,
you
get
a whole
new
kettle
of (five)
fish
(and
two
loaves).
In this
unconventional
documentary
road
trip,
Maher
takes
the
viewer
on an
excursion
around
the
world
from
the
American
Bible
Belt,
to Europe
and
the
Middle
East
to search
for
answers
on Christianity,
Judaism,
Islam
and
other
movements
like
Scientology
and
the
Mormons.
He interviewing
regular
folk,
priests,
imams,
scholars,
senators,
scientists,
whack-jobs,
rational
people,
a man
claiming
to be
Jesus
himself,
and
a wide
range
of experts,
trying
to dissect
this
phenomenon
which
has
been
the
root
of most
conflict
on this
planet.
Born
into
a Catholic-Jewish
family,
he soon
realized
that
the
man-made
dogma
attached
to these
religions
enforce
a lot
of power
over
its
followers
without
really
being
fact-based,
and
can
easily
get
distorted
and
abused.
With
his
inimitable
style,
Maher
makes
the
experience
a very
humorous
one,
without
being
blatantly
disrespectful,
although
the
devout
will
brand
him
a blasphemer,
infidel
and
all
the
rest
rolled
into
one.
Scenes
from
religious
movies
and
other
sources
punctuate
these
funny
moments
to great
effect.
Religulous
is a
movie
everyone
must
see,
if only
to shift
that
religious
barrier
which
most
people
are
born
into
and
brought
up under,
as the
only
set
way
to live
your
life,
and
if not,
you’ll
burn
in hell.
One
can
be a
good
person
with
love
in their
hearts
without
having
to subscribe
to a
club
that
meets
on Sundays
(or
Fridays)
and
want
your
10%.
Religion
is big
business,
and
while
its
root
intentions
may
be to
do good,
there
are
just
too
many
fingers
in the
pie
and
man-made
interference
to make
it irrefutable
as each
movement
would
claim.
Some
of the
many
fascinating
locations
he visits
include
a creationist
museum,
a Jerusalem
theme
park
complete
with
musical
numbers,
a workshop
where
gadgets
are
developed
to bypass
the
sin
of working
on the
Sabbath,
and
an ex-gay
Christian
who
believes
his
previous
way
of life
is sinful
and
that
people
can
be cured
of it…
In many
ways
this
movie
preaches
to the
(un)converted
and
will
not
exactly
convince
those
believing
unconditionally
to leave
their
church,
mosque
or synagogue.
That
is also
not
the
purpose.
It calls
for
an open
mind
and
the
reconsidering
of blind
faith
to the
detriment
of humanity
–
from
corrupt
charismatic
preachers
to suicide
bombers.
Directed
by Larry
Charles
(who
wrote
many
Seinfeld
episodes
and
directed
the
Borat
movie),
I do
feel
that
sometimes
they
took
liberties
in the
editing
room
by gratuitously
splicing
unrelated
reactions
of interviewees
into
the
mix,
which
was
not
necessary
to make
the
point.
It was
more
than
likely
done
for
laughs,
but
often
makes
the
people
look
like
fools.
I feel
it detracts
from
the
purpose
and
make
for
cheap
shots
which
can
make
them
seem
biased
as opposed
to investigating
the
issue
with
a balanced
(albeit
tongue
in cheek)
perspective.
Regardless,
the
movie
makes
some
highly
interesting
points
and
will
hopefully
open
up some
very
lively
debates.
PS.
I’m
surprised
there
weren’t
protests
on the
scale
of Martin
Scorsese’s
The
Last
Temptation
Christ
or Mel
Gibson’s
The
Passion
Of The
Christ
on the
release
of Religulous...
the
release
of the
new
High
School
Musical
movie
probably
acted
as an
inadvertent
deflector.
6
/ B
- Paul
Blom
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