Religulous

Yes, it's about time

Funny as heck.

Bill Maher should be applauded for simply approaching this subject. So many lives have been lost throughout the years in the name of religion.

Larry Charles directs with verve and a keen sense of curiosity about all of his subjects.

Excellent!

8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done...

Relevant, irreverent, hilarious, and indecent; this movie is a lot of things. It's shocking to see someone actually talking about religion, the Great Taboo, without a herd of morons with pitchforks somewhere nearby. And Palin's in Alaska, so no need to worry about that. Bill Maher delivers an excellent comedy and an in-depth documentary of the religions of the world. No religion is spared, except maybe Shinto and possibly some of the Mystery Religions. Most people will say that Maher is attacking religion in this movie, but he is really just asking questions Socrates-style and letting the religious buffoons mock themselves. And, boy, they do a great job! If you have a sense of humor or an ounce of curiosity, you will like this movie. Yes, even if you are deeply religious. It's a roller coaster ride through That Which Can't Be Spoken Of Without Offending Some Fool Somewhere. In a world surrounded by fundamentalists, Armageddon-worshipers, and people who like to kill each other over their imaginary friends, this documentary is important and wonderful and should not be missed.

5 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

good if you're bored

I'm not even religious, but this was just annoying and boring- he just asks people questions and then interrupts them. There are no well thought out arguments, no research, no real storyline/plot to his "funny" movie.

I watched the whole thing because I assumed someone produced it because it had merit. It is funny at some points, but nothing you can't get from a 13 a year old atheist's blog.

4 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Ya Gotta Love This...

Realistic, entertaining, funny, and true. Bill goes out there and puts his ass on the line for all of us and points out the fairytale flaws that so many adults take to heart as a serious way of life.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A Funny Look at Religion

"Religuious" was laugh-out-loud funny, though some may say Maher was unfair in his portrayal of religion. If anything, Maher gets his audience thinking about religion and might lead viewers to seek out books/videos that have a chance of debunking religion, particularly Christianity.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Interesting but don't expect funny.

Very interesting look at religion. I am a fan of Bill but didn't know exactly what format this DVD would take. It is not a comedy but an attempt to present Bill's views on religion. It is worth watching more than once.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

An editorial and opinon piece not a documentary.

I would first like to say I have no problem discussing issues with those who disagree with my worldview, or a have differing opinon. This is not the issue. Bill Maher is a man with a view and an opinon. This film is labled a documentary and I understand that it cant be under any other genre but this film is nothing but an opinon piece. First, he discusses Religion generaly but he only interviews, talks about, mocks and touches the surface of the religions that have come out of Judism, Christianity and Islam. He doesnt even discuss Buddaism, or Hinduism at all. Perhaps its because his main argument at the end of the film, which is also in the opening scene, is the aspect of war. War in the name of a religion.
I would whole heartly agree with him and I do that it is ridiculous when people go to war in the name of religion, especialy when they are acting contrary to that religion. Bill Mahers interviews are the worst part of the movie. His approach is crass, non-inquistive, and he really doesnt seem interasted in a real sober intellegent discussion. instead he feels to demand the person he is interviewing to have the knowledge desired but when the person being interviewed states something as fact or truth, which they may not cite where they got the information from, Maher responds curtly "no it isnt, thats not true" etc... Its not a discussion or even a debate its one mans opinon going place to place to support his opinon and degrade others with out any honest investigation. He doesnt take a persons word if its something he disagrees with but takes a persons word as truth if it supports his opinon. I watched this film because I enjoy talking, discussing and hearing other points of view regardless if they are contrary to my own. Being open to that helps us not be dogmatic and be critical minded.

Maher it seems is not subscribing to the one chief rule in debating and ascribing to a worldview. Critizing and scrutinzing your world view under the same expectations you hold over others. He stands on the "honest doubter", which appears as a cop out. because he is never on the other side of the inquisition and doesnt explain his views with sound arguemts. He discounts arguments as weak and a cop out with his own weak presentation and cop out arguments.
Maher may have a better argument than "because" but he didnt present a convicing one in this film.

As a film, creative editing is about the best I can say.

3 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

I expected something smart & funny, but Bill chooses easy targets to mock and put down. I don't belong to an organized religion but believe everyone has a right to choose. Instead of engaging with religious leaders or educators, he (mostly) picks on every day people. He skims over his own religious upbringing, and chooses to ignore what could have been interesting fodder - his father's defection from the Catholic Church, why he no one questioned the religious choices in his house, etc. - but briefly touches on it and waltzes away.

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

On my GOD :-)

I loved this !! I now worship at the feet of Bill Maher !! I have no idea how he managed to do this without losing his mind as people are NUTS !!

These are questions that I have asked for years and was looked at as if I had killed Bambi.

Hats off to you Mr. Maher and Mr. Charles and crew.. it couldn't have been easy, after all you WERE using LOGIC !!

A MUST SEE !!!!!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding critique of religion!

Let me begin by confessing that I am an atheist. And let me point out that I am not an anti-religious person. But I am critical of religion, and I feel that religion is an issue that needs debated and questioned. Bill Maher is a voice of reason, skepticism and comedy that perfectly sums up the problems and absurdities we have with religion while doing so in a way that should not be taken too offensively.

Bill travels the globe, meeting people who are devoutly religious and simply asking them questions about their faith. After revealing some background information, throwing in a few jokes and debating the devout, Bill Maher adopts a serious tone addressing the issues he has with religion and why it needs to change.

In a humorous, critical and thought-provoking way, Bill gets us to ask the questions we need to start asking even more!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not what I expected.

After hearing some reviews of this I decided to give it a shot. After 10 minutes I wondered why I wasted my money. I should have just rented it and saved the money. I just thought it was borderline stupid. Trust me save your money. Rent it 1st !

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Why is it only comedians make us THINK, these days?

I saw Religulous in the theatre and bought it as soon as it came out so I could share it with family and friends who didn't get to see it.

Maher is always provacative - sometimes to the point of making me uncomfortable, but sometimes we need to be pushed out of our comfort zone to see another point of view.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

God save us from God!

This movie is both hilarious and (should be) frightening at the same time. You know what they say about discussions concerning "religion or politics" and I am sure the "pundits' will monumentally attack Bill Maher's approach and opinion. There is much to critisize about the approach and its pretty clear that it was scripted and edited to support his opinion, which I was a bit surprised to hear so strongly at the end. But I was also enthralled by how well this last part was written. This is because 4 years ago I packed up my 45 "staunch" Episcopal years of extremely active participation and just calmly and quietly put it out of my life. They talk about the blissful feeling of "finding" Christ. I am sorry to offend anybody, but I experianced a blissful epiphany "un-finding" Christ. It was like being set free, and I have never been happier in my life. Religion is a frightening concoction that is lethal in its rationale and is poisonous to the primitives that inhabit this planet. Our society is the equivalent of a teenager out on a friday night in dad's sportscar. We are just barely old enough to qualify to drive a deadly weapon, yet may not posses the wisdom to properly handle it. Though people will vehemently try to rationalise that we do. Yes, we do have a LONG history of getting it wrong. And people need to wake the "frack" up to the fact that religion is a massive reason why the future is so frightenly precarious. As he said "wake up or die". Harsh, but I find I can't argue with that. Others I am certain can, and have every reason to waste there lives doing so. You have my sincere pity!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Grow up.

Pretty simple.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Skepticism, sass and courage

Anyone familiar with Bill Maher knows that at certain moments he really can be a colossal jerk with what he says. But as a non-believer for 13 years, raised in a Christian household and having gone to a Baptist U., I have certainly encoutered a large number of mindless religious zealots who truly don't deserve anything but a nasty attitude toward their faith. Simply put, their actions betray their words over and over and over again, proving without any doubt the egregious extent to which they've been morally compromised, and that may not be the worst part: they are completely convinced they have been made righteous by their belief and that on a daily basis they are in touch with the everlasting, all-powerful, unfathomably kind and just deity that created the entire universe, from the most gargantuan galaxy down to the tiniest quark. Another example of the terrible damage religious devotion inflicts upon the human mind is the fact that one of my family members has no problem watching violent TV movies and series all day, every day, but nearly has a meltdown whenever someone takes God's name in vain with "JC" or "GD." It simply makes no sense to be so deeply offended by words, whilst offering no objections whatsoever to images of brutality carried out toward the human race. Unless, of course, you're just so busy taking your God's side in every single argument that you can't be bothered to take the human side of any issue. Ah, there's the rub. So as far as this movie is concerned, I have absolutely no trouble with Maher allowing the faithful to showcase their idiocy to the world. Various religions, some of them existing around the globe for many centuries, have proven so amazingly powerful, wealthy (by that I mean GREEDY), divisive, intolerant and blood-soaked that I honestly cannot see how the world would not become a better place if they ceased to be. Kudos to Maher for tackling the issue and summing up his video with a rather impressive speech concerning the future of the human race.

this movie is extremely hilarious and informative. it should be

this movie is extremely hilarious and informative. it should be seen by every religious fundamentalist

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