Religulous

Religulous

Starring: Bill Maher

Directed by: Larry Charles

Reviewed by: Conor Flynn








If I have any religious beliefs, then I’d consider myself agnostic, though sometimes that boarders on pure unadulterated atheism. It depends if someone close to me has passed on. With a review like this, especially when considering the topic of this documentary, some readers might conclude that it’s unfair for me to review such a contentious film. As with all films, a reviewer must be as honest as possible to their readers, otherwise it’s negative propaganda. Just because I’m an agnostic doesn’t mean you are. But an objective review can still be made. Baring all that in mind, I’ll carry on with the review proper…

Bill Maher perceives himself as a seeker asking the ultimate religious question; is there a need for religion? This sees him travel to various places such as The Vatican, Jerusalem and even Amsterdam. Here he interviews a range of people, among them a ‘trucker’s chapel’, a former musician turned reverend and a minister who offers ‘freedom from homosexuality’ amongst others…

The negatives with this piece are vast. There isn’t much documenting going on, more of an opinionated rant by Bill Maher, who delivers his thoughts with an inherent smugness which begins to heavily grate towards the films closure. Finally Maher pleads for sanity and rationality to win against bigotry and hatred, however the very cynical attitude with which Maher approaches the topic and smarter than art thou remarks throughout the film undermines the argument of his subjective closing statement. It also doesn’t help that the selection of interviewees, among them, a former Satanist priest, are too easy to criticise.

Further hindering the film is its lack of focus as it spends an hour criticising Christianity, yet leaves only forty or so minutes for other religions. Essentially it runs out of ideas. The focus is also messy when it comes to getting information across, particularly through the use of subtitles which offer cynical jabs at the interviewees. The editing is always erratic and cluttered with questionable reaction shots. This makes for some humorous moments, but again it undermines the veracity of the piece. It’s also interesting to note that certain religions don’t even get a mention such as Buddhism.

Although I tend to agree with many of the opinions formed in the film, at the end of the day, a lot of it feels lightweight and far too loose. The film takes an often humorous bite at religion, but as a documentary, it is extremely shallow stuff.