Religion is one of those topics that will never find its way to Thanksgiving dinner because it's impolite. Well thank God (or Yaweh, Allah, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.) Bill Maher is not a polite person. Maher, best known for his left-leaning HBO talk show Real Time,"" is an intellectual icon. In his anti-religious documentary ""Religulous,"" Maher spares no offense in a strong effort to prove that all religions are inherently vain wastes of human progress.
The point of ""Religulous"" is clear enough, which doesn't explain why the film itself is at times so incoherent. Good documentaries outline their intentions and then fill in the holes.
""Religulous"" aimlessly follows Maher as he talks to religious zealots across the globe. From gay Muslim extremists in Amsterdam to the man who plays Jesus at a theme park in Orlando, all of Maher's interviews follow the same format.
Maher explains to his interviewees that there are logical holes in their beliefs or that they are hypocrites, and they retort in really uneducated and ridiculous ways. Although this would make an amusing segment on Maher's show, it hardly adds up to the 100-minute film that is ""Religulous."" At times both Maher and his victims emanate an aura of smugness, which hurts the film as a whole. It feeds both sides of the fire and doesn't really advance any interesting points other than religious thought can be awfully absurd sometimes. Fortunately, the personality of Maher alone is strong enough to carry the movie.
The only focused part of the erratic documentary is Maher. He is consistently witty and charming throughout, even though he does offend. And he does offend everyone, even the cannabis loving Cantheists, who never bothered anybody.
During an interview at a truck stop chapel outside of Raleigh, N. C., Maher actually joins the truckers in a prayer for his own redemption. The patrons in the room echo the feeling that most audiences have for Maher. Although they don't agree with him, they do find him very funny, warm and charismatic.
Director Larry Charles (""Borat"") leans heavily on Maher's character and sense of humor to pull the film together. It isn't until the closing minutes of ""Religulous"" that we get to see Maher's full intent.
The film finishes in a very fitting place. It ends where the world is supposed to end, ironically, near the Western Wall, the holiest of all holy places.
After over 90 minutes of religulousness, Maher sobers up and it pays. The scene masterfully mimics the urgency of Johan SÃ ¶derberg's ""The Planet"" and finally shows the film was about a lot more than just making religious people look ridiculous. Maher looks a bit uncomfortable playing the serious guy, but he pulls it off to tie his whole effort together in a very uplifting way.
""Religulous"" is about the negative effects of religion, not just about the humor. This is an important distinction that should be raised right away, not as the credits are about to roll. Maher goes to great lengths to let his atheistic beliefs show, but in order for the film to make a compelling argument, Maher has to show that he is compassionate.
If the film accomplishes one thing, it shows very plainly that atheists are not horrible people. Maher's good and genuine intentions get buried behind his cynicism, and this is what makes the film come off as disjointed. At the heart, Maher asks to be understood, just like his religious counterparts.
Grade: BC
