Post by StevePulaski on Jan 8, 2012 12:07:25 GMT -5
Bill Maher with a Jesus Christ actor in Religulous.
Rating: ★★★½
Bill Maher has never been one of my favorite comedians. I was never fond of his political views or his show in general. Despite my feelings for him, I found out he did a documentary called Religulous that focused on lampooning religion. I, myself, find religion to be overblown and unnecessary for today's world. So, the concept immediately struck me as intriguing, ambitious, and daring.
It turned out that it was just as it advertised; an hour and a half long documentary featuring Bill Maher traveling around the world to the Vatican, different churches of all shapes and sizes, meeting people who have been "saved," etc. All of them he mocks, contradicts, and criticizes. The concept sounds selfish and mean-spirited, indeed. But it's taken in such a serious and collective manner.
I'm afraid to talk about religion a lot of the time because I feel I'm bound to offend someone. I don't need it in my life. If you do, wonderful. Don't force me to believe in God. People ask me if I'm an Atheist because of the way I talk about religion. I don't consider myself an Atheist as much as I do a very heavy skeptic. Or better yet, a free thinking individual who doesn't look to "God" or anyone of a higher power to solve my problems. I question a lot. Many questions I've asked over the years, about miracles and the teenage years of Jesus Christ, are even asked in the film by Maher himself. This shows I'm not alone in my beliefs.
I taught myself at a young age, despite attending pre-school in a very, very Lutheran church, that when you have a problem you can't look to God for help. You yourself need to fix it. Waiting around for some being who hasn't even been proven to exist is not the way to go through life. Another thing that frustrates me is when people, like the actors/actresses that win Academy Awards or score the winning touchdown, thank God instead of their own skills. Last time I checked, God wasn't playing the game. You were. Give yourself credit.
Once more, I'd like to reiterate, I am not trying to offend anyone. I feel that if you've "seen the light" or believe in God, that is perfectly acceptable. Obviously, you see something I don't and I can accept that. I wish I could fully believe there is a God, who gave us freewill, loves us, and wants to see everyone succeed. The problems for me is there is no hard evidence, all religions seem the same in my eyes, there are many holes in the world of religion, and it leads to unnecessary arguments and wars. It's not worth losing friends, readers, and it's just not worth my personal time.
As far as Religulous goes, the title stems from combining the words "religion" and "ridiculous." A genius combination if you ask me. Maher is consistently funny as he questions and contradicts the beliefs of his interviewees and never strikes a wrong note. If I had to nitpick one element it would be he doesn't dive into the church I wanted to hear the most about; the Westboro Baptist Church. We see a blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of them, but we never get an opinion or an interview on the subject.
That being said, the film is very funny. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable documentaries I have yet to see. It's hip, funny, biased like them all, but satirical, and amusing. Many will hate it. Many will love it. It depends on your religion and how receptive you are to a political commentator criticizing your ways of life. I can see religious people taking it for a laugh, religious people hating it, and Atheists adoring the concepts brought to light. Some will call it ridiculous, some will call it propagandulous, but many will call it humorous. The whole thing is religulous to me.
Starring: Bill Maher. Directed by: Larry Charles.