RELIGULOUS
RYAN: I love the title “Religulous” because it’s a cross between “religion” and “ridiculous.”
CAROLINE: It also reminds me of “Caligula” in a weird way.
RYAN: Um… OK. This is a documentary starring Bill Maher, who blows the lid off all religions, and it’s directed by the guy who made “Borat.” Suffice it to say it’s a brilliant marriage between these two men.
They clearly share the same ideals and even though I’m not particularly a Bill Maher fan, I was really into this movie and its message.
RYAN: I love Bill Maher so this movie was a real treat for me. What I loved most about him is that he’s the definitive devil’s advocate. He doesn’t really take sides on anything; he just loves to raise questions and push buttons. Plus he’s a brilliant, witty, sharp guy. What’s not to love?
CAROLINE: He’s very acerbic, which I enjoy. It’s a funny movie, but it’s also scary in some ways because of people’s ignorance. I won’t go so far as to say I agree 100% with Mr. Maher, but I do think he has some valid points about religion. People can be so blindly faithful to it without ever thinking about or questioning their beliefs.
RYAN: What’s most terrifying, and it’s one of the film’s final points, is that we as humans use religion to rationalize what is really a self-fulfilling prophecy to destroy the world through nuclear war.
CAROLINE: Obviously, there’s a lot about Islam in the movie, but as we know, Bill Maher is an equal opportunity offender. He also addresses Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism and even Scientology. I don’t think he’s gonna make many new fans out of the religious right in this country, that’s for shizz.
RYAN: He so doesn’t care. He focuses on issues like creationism vs. evolution, homosexuality and women’s rights and I just love the way he brings all this stuff into the light.
CAROLINE: I’m thinking this movie will be a hit on the coasts more than in the middle of the country.
RYAN: I haven’t been this excited about a documentary since last year’s “For the Bible Tells Me So.” It’s as profound about religion as that film was. The only thing I didn’t love about the movie was that there were a lot of sub-titles and quotes onscreen and quick shots of signage that looked interesting, but they flashed up on the screen too fast and I didn’t get to finish reading them. Maybe I’m a slow reader, but it frustrated me that I couldn’t read them all the way through.
CAROLINE: You’re a slow reader because I had no problem reading them all.
RYAN: There you have it. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: I enjoyed this movie, though it’s a touch too long. I was ready for it to wrap up during the last twenty minutes. But given that I don’t really follow Bill Maher or watch his shows, I liked him a lot in this. He has an ease on camera that makes you believe him and think, “Wow, he really has a point.” I’d like to think that even staunch Christians or Muslims or anyone religious might be able to at least see what he’s saying if not totally agree with him.
RYAN: I passionately recommend this movie. It’s very well done, and I loved its message. I happen to agree with Bill Maher on a lot of this stuff. The movie is entertaining and well edited and they throw in some pop cultural stuff to spice things up.
CAROLINE: I think the main thrust of the movie is not that Bill Maher is anti-religion. He’s not opposed to people believing what they want to believe. He just wants to raise the question of doubt in people’s minds, and many super religious people aren’t willing to do that. I’d say he comes off looking like the smart guy in the end.