Religulous Review
By Karen Dahlstrom
Pulpit Fiction
With his shows "Politically Incorrect" and "Real Time", comedian Bill Maher has made a career out of controversy. It should come as no surprise, then, that he would tackle the last great taboo in American discourse: Religion. Starring Maher and directed by Larry Charles ("
Borat"), "Religulous" seeks to understand why people choose to believe in their respective faiths.
Traveling around the world, Maher interviews a wide variety of people, asking questions about the nature of faith and religion. On his journey, he interviews the parishioners of a makeshift truckers' church, a U.S. Senator, an Ex-Jew for Jesus, a Catholic priest, the head of the Human Genome Project, the leader of a cannabis-based religion, a preacher who believes he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and other religious leaders, scientists, followers and ex-followers.
The very personal nature of the subject makes for some uneasy exchanges. A lapsed Catholic, Maher makes no secret of his belief that organized religion is not only for suckers, but will lead to our eventual demise. His interview subjects, for the most part, are bound to disagree. But as in "Borat", the interviews are often as hilarious as they are chair-squirmingly uncomfortable. Particularly, Maher's interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D, Arkansas) yields some gems ("You don't need an IQ test to be in the Senate"), as does his chat with crotchety skeptic and Senior Vatican Scholar, Father Reginald Foster.
Despite the controversial nature of the subject matter, Maher squanders the film's potential by only scratching at the surface. By choosing not to interview legitimate religious leaders, it would appear that Maher is not interested in a serious debate. Rather, he interviews people on the fringes of religious life, or those who are unable to distill their beliefs into pithy sound bites.
To call "Religulous" a documentary would be generous. The film ultimately fails as a documentary because it is so woefully one-sided. Maher's point-of-view is the only one he cares about. The interviews serve only to prove his point. While he, at times, offers thought-provoking questions like "why is faith good?", Maher's role is primarily to poke fun at people who dare believe in the illogical, even the ridiculous.
If taken as a comedy (or as comedic agitprop), "Religulous" fares much better. Maher's quick-witted one-liners serve to liven up many an interview, along with old religious cartoons, films and other pop culture references. A segment explaining that Mormons believe Native Americans are the lost Jews (yup) is inter-cut with a shot of Mel Brooks dressed as a chief in "Blazing Saddles". It's one of many brilliant moments that make "Religulous" more like an episode of "The Daily Show" rather than "Frontline".
The final irony of "Religulous" is that it's only superficially controversial. The simple fact that it's about religion will naturally divide audiences, but Maher's approach isn't thoughtful or thorough enough to be taken seriously by either side of the debate. The religious will simply write it off as the rantings of someone who has yet to "find" God. For the non-believers, he's simply preaching to the choir. But by laughing about religion, we may finally be able to get a real conversation started.
