Watch out, world: Bill Maher is on the loose, and he spares no monotheistic religion in the hilarious and offensive documentary Religulous.
To prove that religion is a dangerous and volatile concept, Maher traverses the globe to learn why people believe what they do. Joining him is a veritable circus of kooky characters: the theme park Jesus impersonator, gay Muslim activists living in Amsterdam, a man who claims he is the second coming of Christ, a "heterosexual man with past homosexual experiences" and a senior Vatican priest who laughingly rejects almost all of the Catholic doctrine.
Maher makes a fair effort to feature rational and intelligent people in the film, but what makes Religulous so uniquely comical is its Jaywalking-worthy subjects. Maher doesn't have to try to make these people look ridiculous - they cluelessly provide the punch lines on their own. When a rabbi repeatedly insists "let me finish" and still fails to make a point or when an Arkansas politician gleefully declares "you don't need to pass an IQ test to get into the Senate," you can't help but smirk along with Maher. Even believers may pause to question their ideals.
Unfortunately, Religulous sours in the end with an unnecessary and somber call to action. Maher should know by now that his comedy alone proves a point. In the man's own words, "Do you really buy that?" Yes, we do, but we will choose to forget the forced conclusion.
