Religulous

Religulous is a slight yet entertaining documentary following Bill Maher as he investigates the more ludicrous aspects of certain religions, with the bulk of the proceedings devoted to segments in which the comedian confronts staunchly devout subjects on their beliefs. Director Larry Charles has infused the movie with an appropriately light-hearted sensibility that’s echoed in the consistent (and occasionally oppressive) inclusion of random bits of silliness (eg after remarking that Jesus as a teen probably sported a Jew-fro and had trouble talking to girls, Charles cuts to a shot of Jonah Hill in Superbad), yet there’s little doubt that Religulous is at its best when Maher goes one-on-one with a myriad of theologically-minded individuals (including a sketchy TV evangelist and a man portraying Jesus at a Bible-centered amusement park). And while Maher and Charles admittedly do seem to be going out of their way to offer up an even-handed take (initially, anyway), there inevitably reaches a point at which the pair are essentially preaching to the choir (ie we know that the “talking snake” and virgin birth are absurd; let’s move onto something else). It consequently goes without saying that Religulous begins to seriously run out of steam somewhere past the halfway mark, as the repetitive nature of the movie’s structure becomes increasingly tough to take. The vitriolic final monologue, undoubtedly destined to provoke arguments and stir up controversy, ensures that the film ends on a thoroughly positive note, which ultimately does lead one to wish that Charles and Maher had included more of the same throughout the remainder of the proceedings.

** out of ****