Larry Charles (Of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Borat fame) brings us another run-and-gun style documentary about America. It opened last night (October 3rd).The film consists of Bill Maher questioning every facet of the three 'major' religions in America: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is definitely the most damning critiques about religion since Monty Python's The Life of Brian.
In Maher's quest to learn about why religion is still such a major force in America despite the overwhelming evidence against it, Maher interviews devout followers and religous leaders. He travels the world and also delves into his family history with faith.
Some of the interviews work, some of them don't. The most interesting ones are with the folks associated with the Vatican. Their answers are shocking in their candidness and their progressiveness.
Content aside, the movie is quite slick and amounts to just being a travelogue with several sound bites. I feel that some scenes scenes needed to be played out a bit more, others should have been cut down. Although the pace and tone of the movie don't exactly work, the filmmaker's thesis is clear and never deviates from it.
Right before the credits, Bill Maher sums up the entire film in one 'straight for the jugular' angry rant while epic orchestrations play. It's equal parts comedy, satire and insight.
Perhaps not the greatest documentary ever made, Religulous does have some genuine laughs and is entertaining. That's a lot to say for a movie that tackles a taboo topic. It also proves that Larry Charles is one of the great comedic directors of our time.
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