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Religulous

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Religulous (2008)

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Reviews Counted:32

Fresh:20

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Religulous is funny and offensive in equal measure, and aims less to change hearts and minds than to inspire conversation.

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $12,995,673

Synopsis: Bill Maher travels to Israel, England, the Netherlands, Vatican City, and across America, speaking to people about faith and religion in the very funny documentary RELIGULOUS. Maher, a stand-up... Bill Maher travels to Israel, England, the Netherlands, Vatican City, and across America, speaking to people about faith and religion in the very funny documentary RELIGULOUS. Maher, a stand-up comedian who has hosted the talk shows POLITICALLY INCORRECT on ABC and REAL TIME on HBO and has written such bestsellers as DOES ANYBODY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT? and WHEN YOU RIDE ALONE, YOU RIDE WITH BIN LADEN, reaches out to religious leaders as well as regular folk on the street, discussing the existence of God and the importance of organized religion. Maher makes it clear from the start that he is not a fan of religion and does not believe in God, and he has fun skewering people who do--including Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Mormons, rabbis, priests, politicians, scientists, evangelical ministers, and even a preacher whose church is a converted truck. He also visits such places as the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida, where he interviews the actor who plays Jesus in a live show there, and the Red Light District in Amsterdam, notorious for its legalized drugs and prostitution. As he has done on his television programs and in his books, Maher questions literal interpretations of the Bible, seeing it more as a collection of fairy tales. Director Larry Charles (BORAT, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM) intersperses clips from Hollywood films about religion to punctuate Maher's points, often to hilarious effect. The soundtrack is also used effectively, including such songs as the Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Alright," Ben Folds's "Jesusland," and Billy Bragg and Wilco's "Christ for President." Like such Michael Moore documentaries as FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, Maher's RELIGULOUS uses humor--and lots of cynicism and sarcasm--to examine controversial theories and topics that people feel very strongly about, no matter what side of the fence they are on. In addition to making audiences laugh, RELIGULOUS will make them think. [More]

Starring: Bill Maher, Kathy Maher, Julie Maher, Mark Pryor

Starring: Bill Maher, Kathy Maher, Julie Maher, Mark Pryor, Andrew Newberg, Ray Suarez, Francis Collins, Brian Weiss, Aki Nawaz

Director: Larry Charles

Director: Larry Charles
Producer: Bill Maher, Jonah Smith, Palmer West
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Reviews for Religulous

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1 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Maher crucifies the kooks. What he singularly fails to do, though, is engage with anyone sensible. By mocking the loonies he squanders the precious high ground. A real pity.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment 1 Comment
04/03/09
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
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Shooting fish in a barrel is the order of the day in comedian Bill Maher's faintly tiresome attack on religion.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 1 Comment
04/03/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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It’s a rare film that can simultaneously crack you up and send a chill down your spine. Worth seeing — even for believers.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/03/09
Helen OHara
Helen OHara
Empire Magazine
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Maher sets out not after answers but cheap laughs that preach, so to speak, to the converted.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/18/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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Religulous is not for the devout. But those with a taste for irreverent humor and clear-eyed analysis will find it funny, enlightening and disturbing.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
10/03/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
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A provocation, thinly disguised as a documentary, that succeeds in being almost as funny as it is offensive.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment 1 Comment
10/03/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
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One of the rules of satire is that you can't mock things you don't understand, and Religulous starts developing fault lines when it becomes clear that Maher's view of religious faith is based on a sophomoric reading of the Scriptures.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 5 Comments
10/03/08
Neely Tucker
Neely Tucker
Washington Post
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This movie is about Bill Maher's opinion of religion. He's very smart, quick and funny, and I found the movie entertaining, although sometimes he's a little mean to his targets.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 4 Comments
10/02/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Religulous is a film that aims for laughs, not a scientific survey of the roots of faith.

comment 2 Comments
10/01/08
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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In a string of frank, often hilarious but always well-considered conversations with various Christians, Maher incisively asks them exactly what skeptics always ponder about religion in general and Christianity in particular.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/21/08
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
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1 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Religulous

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