“Religulous” demands to be seen by intelligent Christian apologists. It’s a documentary that asks difficult questions about creationism, Christology, and questions like how could Jonah survive in the belly of a fish. When comparing Christ to Santa Claus, a Christian believer responds in an interview that he doesn’t believe in Santa. “Of course not,” Maher replies, “that’s ridiculous! One man flying all around the world and dropping presents in chimneys. But one man listening to everyone murmur to him at the same time, that I get.”
Bill Maher is a self-described agnostic who just ‘doesn’t know’ the answers. Born to a Jewish mother, he was raised Catholic until one day his family simply stopped attending church. The film, composed of a string of carefully selected, well-edited interviews with people in the church, shows Maher’s doubt of the Christian religion.
Some of the interviews are funny, like when Maher speaks with a man claiming to be the second coming of Christ on the basis that he shares the same name of Jesus. Maher meets some real wackos. But as soon as Maher starts comparing those nut jobs with the average Christian, some may suddenly realize he’s not playing fair.
Well of course he’s not playing fair. The interviews are intercut with archive footage of biblical epics and suicide bombings. Not all of the Christians interviewed understand apologetics, so surely some will give terrible answers to Maher’s questions. But when watching a movie like “Religulous,” viewers should remember it’s not an intelligent dissection of religion, rather it’s a comedic rant. Since it’s playing for laughs, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Maher uses cheap shots. In fact, it’d be surprising if he didn’t use cheap shots.
However, as a comedy, it’s only occasionally funny. The movie begins to deflate and lose its comedic air because of double standards. Maher blasts those that are guilty of intolerance, yet he himself becomes increasingly hostile to his speakers. He interrupts interviews with smug remarks until the interviewee becomes unable to defend their position. He even walks out of an interview with an anti-Zionist Jew who opposes the new state of Israel, at the expense of muting a rebuttal.
Maher’s smugness kills the humor. In the beginning of the film, it’s easy to laugh because he presents himself as a doubting agnostic that’s generally curious about what people have to say. He has some good one-liners and he comes across as a nice guy. But then he starts talking down to people. The film self-defeats itself because of the shift in Maher’s conviction. He sheds his doubting agnostic image and gains an angry atheistic one, making cruel remarks that belittle anyone who disagrees with him. While it’s weak for comedy, it cries for an intelligent apologetic response.
