Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Traveling around the world, Maher examines the tenets of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and raises questions about homosexuality, proof of Christ's existence, Jewish Sabbath laws, violent Muslim extremists.
Religulous is a one-sided but entertaining documentary where Bill Maher travels the world skewering religious belief with comedy and confrontation. The 'plot' is a loose travelogue structure that works well enough for the genre, though it's more polemic than journalism. Acting is largely irrelevant here—Maher is charismatic but clearly cherry-picks easy targets, and interviewees range from articulate to bewildered. Cinematography is functional documentary work with no particular visual ambition. Novelty is moderate—Maher's irreverent comedic approach to religious documentary had some freshness in 2008, though it follows in the tradition of provocateur docs. The ending, in which Maher delivers a surprisingly urgent apocalyptic warning about religion's dangers, is notably more earnest and sobering than the tone of the rest of the film, giving it a memorable if jarring close.