Directed by Larry Charles, Religulous is made in a similar vain as Fahrenheit 9/11. As Michael Moore used his documentary attempting to show viewers that the Bush Administration used 9/11 as a means to justify an “unjust” war on Iraq and Afghanistan, so too does Maher attempt to convince people that aspects of religion are ficticous and the cause of much human downfall. What's different about this movie though is that it's funny; he uses sarcasm and bluntness along with archived footage to drive his point home, which is that *drum roll* it's all ridiculous. In Maher's attempt at making people more critical of their respective religions he aims to stir some sort of debate between fact and fiction when it comes to scripture, literature, and things people generally take as undoubtedly truth in their different faiths and beliefs.
Maher travels from the promised land to the ground zero of the “impending apocalypse”, from a museum attempting to prove the theory of Genesis to a gay Muslim bar in London. He speaks to priests outside the Vatican, ex-Jews, ex-Mormons, ex-homosexuals, staunch Christian truckers and general passerbys curious to find out what he's on about. While he may crack a joke here and there this documentary asks viewers to question what is in most cases the very basis of their lives and what lies afterwards. It's a humourous, yet serious documentary that is not for those with tunnel vision; you must be open-minded when watching this doccie, to reconsidering who you are and where you come from. For most, this is a hard thing to do as most religions are based on faith. If you cannot see yourself opening up to look outside the box, it would be advisable to steer clear of Religulous, but if you're feeling curious, then go check it out.
I did find that constantly taking the mickey out of people lessened the impact of the intended message as the interviews are constantly edited to make the subjects look stupid. However it is a well directed and well put together documentary that will make you shift in your seat and leave you something to think about in the end.
