“For mankind to continue, religion must perish,” Bill Maher boldly proclaims in his let’s-kick-religion-in-the-balls documentary Religious, as part of a lengthy (and ironically preachy) rant he delivers at the end of the film.
Let’s not confuse what Religulous is. It’s not a “fundamentalists are not representative of good religious people” expose or a “they become corrupt as they grow institutionalized” slap on the wrist. It’s Bill Maher’s thesis on the whole enchilada, shoving the idea that—as the portmanteau title suggests—religion is inherently ridiculous. Maher has no problem (or fear of repercussions) equating faith to idiocy, even at one point roping a research doctor to confirm his suspicion that people who believe in God are suffering from a neurological disorder. Although it’s a deftly funny film, what he’s suggesting here is without a doubt serious. It pertains most Americans (heck, it concerns most of the Earth), but Maher is quick to say how that’s exactly his concern—that his country is overrun and controlled by people he perceives to be stubbornly irrational.
It’s a tricky thing, listening to a political comedian, as too often the acceptance of their humor goes hand-in-hand with the acceptance of their opinion. I should mention that I’m no fan of Bill Maher. I don’t think his stand up act is remotely funny and I find his talk show host persona too smug and condescending to be watchable—but I almost always agree with his political opinions. My experience with Bill Maher is one of frustration over this discourse and Religulous is no different. It’s an interesting doc because he publicly explores questions most people are too afraid or too polite to ask, but if Religulous is a hilarious movie, it’s not because of Bill Maher. This film is hilarious in a similar manner to Borat, in that the real people interviewed say really stupid things, fumbling to answer Maher’s logical prodding of the… let’s say “plot holes” of their faith. The difference is that Maher didn’t have to put on a clown act to get the desired reaction like Sacha Baron Cohen did. And then there’s Larry Charles’ mischievous editing, splicing in stock footage to highlight the absurdity of what an interviewee is saying. This technique, coupled with the heckling pop-ups that appear while an interviewee is speaking a la Stephen Colbert’s “The Word” schtick, provide better laughs than the film’s originator and host.
The main problem of the film is still Bill Maher’s holier-than-thou attitude in approaching the people he interviewed, from the highest of clerics to the folksiest of Heartland folks. He often starts gracefully and asks questions with genuine curiosity, but quickly lapses into smug sarcasm and stock insults. An even bigger problem is how this leads to a scripted feeling to the whole thing. In order for the humor to work, Maher has to be confrontational with these people; so Maher holds each religion to a different set of standards just to be on the opposing side. He calls fundamentalist Christians dumb because they take every word of the Bible literally, then later laughs at modern-minded Muslims for following only the peaceful parts of the Quran and not taking its more violent condemnations too literally.
Religulous is a funny movie, yes, I laughed plenty of times, but that’s all it is: a farce. It offers no more insight than the usual atheistic/agnostic snide. Christians are imbeciles, Jews are archaic, Muslims are dangerous, Mormons are gullible and Scientologists are batshit insane. Case closed. You can’t debate reason with faith because the point of faith is that it’s believing wholeheartedly in spite of common sense. I’m sure even Bill Maher knew this already, so his main question in Religulous is why faith (aka the abandonment of reason) is considered by many to be a virtue in this world, which the film can’t answer. So what’s left? A parade of kooky religious people being called out and picked on for the amusement of nonbelievers. Up to you to decide if that’s cruel or just plain necessary.
P.S.: Nice touch, Lions Gate, releasing this movie the same week as Rosh Hashanah and Idul Fitri. I see what you did there.
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October 07, 2008,
zack brown
said:
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I laughed all the way through this movie and ended up loving it. I am a fan of Bill Maher though. I can see why some people can't stand him, and if I didn't agree with him on most things, i wouldn't be able to watch him either because he flat out calls anyone who doesn't agree with him idiots. I do think he is a great comedian and his timing really made some of the laughs in this movie. |
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Votes: +0 |
