Religilous

SCRIBE'S MORMON MAGICAL UNDERPANTS REVIEW:

Bill Maher takes on religion with the same fervor he normally uses on politics with often hilarious and always thought-provoking results.

True believers will be offended and perhaps even hurt by many of the assertions Maher makes in Religulous, but it’s doubtful he’ll be losing any sleep over it. Maher’s mission, quite simply, is to wake people up from the mindless observances of religion and get them to start embracing rationality before we destroy ourselves.

It’s a lofty aim and one that shouldn’t be funny, but Maher is a brilliant satirist and be brings his incisive wit to full bear when dealing with the hopelessly devout.

Maher does what any good documentarian would do, he hits the road in search of answers. What he finds is a combination of equal parts hilarity and tragedy, the human comedy displayed raw and stupid for all to observe. From the Bible Belt to Israel to Western Europe, Maher’s travels reveal a world populated by people that are seemingly otherwise intelligent providing straight-faced affirmations of the most ludicrous beliefs.

There’s a Jew for Christ who believes the story of Jonah is plausible because the Bible didn’t say it was a whale but a big fish. There’s a New Zealander in the Southern U.S. who believes the only way to reconcile the Bible and science is to show humans and dinosaurs living together at the same time. When Maher remarks that this was only true on The Flintstones, the man finds no humor in it.

And there’s more: A “formerly gay” man who believes he cures gays of their affliction while undressing Maher with his eyes. A former R&B singer who believes Jesus wore fine linens which justifies his expensive suits. A Latino male who believes he is the risen Jesus and there is no longer Sin in the world. And that’s just the Christians! Shall I mention the Jewish man who has devised a way to still sue technology during the Sabbath because God wants people to find loopholes in the Bible? How about the Muslim who believes Mohammed actually came to Israel and sat down with Jesus, Moses and all the prophets for a big power meeting?

Through it all, Maher maintains his non-believer status and even admits when the Jesus at a Bible-themed amusement park throws him off his square for a second.

Religulous has been naively criticized for only presenting fringe types that are easily insulted. Maher jokes in the commentary that those were the only ones who would talk to him, but more importantly he is using these lunatics to show that even moderate acceptance of outdated beliefs is dangerous.

The final monologue is one of the most sobering and effective summations in film history. Glad I saw this one when it came out in theaters. OK, Green you may now freely disagree with me and slam the movie.

***** out of *****

GREEN’S TWO SPANISH GUYS NAMED ‘ANGEL’ REVIEW:

I will wholeheartedly admit that Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous is funny and irreverent. And I must admit, did enjoy watching it, more than I thought I would.

If you take what Maher says during the opening credits at face value, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, then you believe him when he says he’s gotta sort this religion thing out for himself. I can respect that. A journey of faith, or more precisely to faith, [The more important question to me is: faith in what (or who?)], is an extremely personal experience. If you belong to no faith at all then I can see where the bewilderment comes from in trying to sort it all out, because it can be confusing (but even no faith is a type of faith, if you really think about it.)

Maher opens with the statement that in his early stand up comedy he’s not ever questioning God but making fun of things within the religions - a gentle poking fun of, if you will.

I also don’t have a problem with that. There are many religious belief systems that truly are screwy - Scientology and Mormonism spring readily to mind. And, it must be said, there are elements of Christianity that at face value are odd, but only because I don’t understand them as well as I should or that I need to get a better grasp of. Elements that non-Christians just can’t understand without a basis in faith. Hard to explain otherwise.

I do get the sense, at the beginning, that Maher is seriously trying to reason out this religion thing, but you can also sense his skepticism for religion as a whole.

Some of the funniest moments in the documentary come when he is talking to Muslims or Jews and he’s trying to be funny but the people to whom he’s telling the jokes just stare blankly back at him because they don’t understand his humor or plainly are not amused.

You might think I’d be offended watching this documentary, but I wasn’t. I certainly don’t agree with some of his statements and conclusions but I can’t fault the guy for using the forum he has to express his opinions.

True, some people of faith may be offended by Maher’s documentary. If that’s the case, then don’t watch any more of it than you already have, or skip it all together. If you can appreciate Maher’s humor then you’ll probably enjoy this movie.

I can tell you confidently that I've taken this DVD off of my wish list at amazon.com. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it but it’s not one I need to watch again or own because I feel very comfortable with my faith and don't have the questions Maher does.

I think you’ll enjoy this DVD, but take it for what it’s worth. One guy’s opinion and that’s all.

***½ out of *****

Religulous (2008, R, 101 minutes), starring Bill Maher. Written by Bill Maher. Directed by Larry Charles.