Bill Maher in Larry Charles' Doc Religulous
Borat Filmmaker's Documentary Explores Religion
Oct 2, 2008
In a documentary designed to make some people very angry, former standup comic Bill Maher approaches the subject of faith with the opinion that “Religion is detrimental to the progress of mankind.” Produced by and starring Maher, Religulous takes the audience around the world in an attempt to answer some basic questions about why and what people believe.
Bill Maher Preaches the Gospel of “I Don’t Know”
The Politically Incorrect humorist and author traveled to Israel, England, The Netherlands, Italy, and all over the United States in his quest for knowledge (and substance for a documentary). He talks to a “Puerto Rican Messiah” in Miami, Florida, a United States senator in Washington, D.C., a rabbi at the Institute for Science and Halacha in Jerusalem, Israel, a Jesus impersonator at a theme park in Orlando, Florida, an anti-Zionist rabbi in New York City, New York, a truck stop reverend at the Truckers Chapel in Raleigh, North Carolina, and his mother and sister in a New Jersey church, among dozens of other interviews.
Espousing the theory that “doubt is humble” and the corollary also is true, he asks people of faith how they can be sure that they’re right. Half Catholic, half Jewish, Maher also talks to scientists to get their point of view on religion. Some people get offended and angry at his confrontations; other look at him sympathetically and promise to pray for him. Caustic and humorous throughout, Maher becomes somewhat preachy at times, using dire predictions and terrifying footage to make his points abundantly clear.
Larry Charles Directs Religulous
Maher’s observations range from purposely antagonistic to co-conspiratorial. Likewise the humor is all over the place in this film. His biting comments may have the audience laughing one minute and his respondents’ unintentionally funny answers will have viewers laughing the next. Director Larry Charles has included inter-cut film and television clip juxtapositions and clarifying subtitles that also guarantee some chuckles. Something else that’s guaranteed: Some people will find Religulous absolutely brilliant, while others will curse Maher for his ignorance.
Larry Charles, director of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, helps present this highly sensitive subject in an extremely comical, though not particularly sensitive, way. In his first feature project since Borat hit the theaters in 2006, Charles again blurs the line between fact and fiction, documentary and narrative feature. To some extent, the filmmakers (as in Borat) manipulate situations for desired results.
- Religulous
- Director: Larry Charles
- Stars: Bill Maher
- Rating: R (for language and sexual references)
For more information about humorous documentaries, read Air Guitar Nation on DVD.
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