The News

Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher and Borat director Larry Charles have teamed up on a documentary about religion. As you may have guessed from Maher's involvement, the movie takes an atheist standpoint and is sure to be one of the funniest and most controversial films of 2008.

Behind the News

Religulous…ok, so the movie doesn’t have the best title in the world (puns are always a dark road to travel), but it is certainly primed to be one of the most interesting comedies of 2008. Never heard of it? Well, the project will mark the collaboration of two of the most combustive, aggressive, and satirical comedy minds in America: Bill Maher and Larry Charles. Separately, the pair have ridiculed practically every sacred cow in the book, together they will tackle one of the most controversial issues of our time and all time: religion.

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Bill Maher is, of course, the politically astute, pro-drug, anti-marriage comedian who made his name in standup and his two television shows Politically Incorrect and Real Time With Bill Maher. He has made a career out of fearlessly voicing his opinion laced with a venomous wit. He made headlines in 2001 for being the first casualty of the post-9/11 patriotic hysteria. After making comments that merely suggested that the 9/11 terrorists weren’t cowards, Maher’s television show was immediately cancelled. It was a harsh decision particularly considering the fact that his show was intended to be a platform for editorial discussion that did not reflect the opinions of the network. Maher has long been an advocate of free speech and questioning authority, making him an ideal candidate to question the ultimate form of societal authority, religion.

His teaming with director Larry Charles is also an interesting choice. Charles was satirizing society and human interactions as a comedy writer for shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm for years, before really coming into his own as the progressive and anarchistic director of Borat. On that project, he began to experiment (thanks in no small part to comedy pioneer Sacha Baron Cohen) with incorporating documentary techniques in his comedy, rather than merely trying to approximate life though writing. Shortly after the unexpected success of Borat, he teamed with Bill Maher to create a film that would allow Maher to openly debate major religious and political figures of all faiths, as well as visit sacred sites and speak to normal people with strong beliefs with the intention of showing that religion is…well…ridiculous (get the title now?).

Maher has always been an open atheist and has attacked religious institutions in both his standup and television shows. The format of Religulous should be an ideal venue for Maher as it will allow him to use the comedy debating skills that he has finely honed through his standup and television careers. While the documentary aspect of the production will allow him to expand as an artist as well as enter into the new world of reality comedy where painful truths and disreputable people are exposed on camera. For a comedian who has made a career out of uncovering hypocrisy and encouraging dissenting ideas, this movie should be the perfect opportunity to use humor to present ideas to a broad audience and speak with religious figures who would never have dared to be a guest on his show.

The movie was shot almost a year ago and footage has already been shown in a few venues. The premiere screening of material from Religulous was at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival and at the time it was assumed that film would be released on Easter 2008. Sadly, the writers strike halted production and made this impossible. The movie is now scheduled to hit theaters on October 3rd, but production has started to post material on the internet. They’ve launched a trailer (see below) and an official website, www.disbeliefnet.com.

The trailer gives a decent indication of what audiences can expect from the movie, but based on the 10 minutes of footage that Maher and Charles showed at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, it barely scratches the surface of the surprising interviews and vicious, yet relevant commentary that the filmmakers present. The movie’s website certainly digs a little deeper, showcasing pages of genuine news stories about religious intolerance and hypocrisy, plus a variety of humor pieces that hilariously skewer the subject matter. It’s a perfect representation of a movie that will provide a combination of difficult laughs and harsh truths that will inevitably spark debate amongst everyone who sees it. If the movie receives the wide release that Lions Gate Studios have planned (though given the difficult subject matter, this is unlikely), Religulous is sure to be one of the most thought provoking, controversial, and hilarious movies of 2008.

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