Religulous (2008)

Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.

Director:

Larry Charles

Stars:

Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bill Maher	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tal Bachman	...	Himself
Jonathan Boulden	...	Himself
Steve Burg	...	Himself
Francis Collins	...	Himself
George Coyne	...	Himself (as Father George Coyne PhD)
Benjamin Creme	...	Himself
Jeremiah Cummings	...	Himself
Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda	...	Himself
Fatima Elatik	...	Herself
Yahuda Etzion	...	Himself
Reginald Foster	...	Himself (as Father Reginald Foster)
Mohamed Junas Gaffar	...	Himself
Bill Gardiner	...	Himself
Ted Haggard	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Bill Maher interviews some of religion's oddest adherents. Muslims, Jews and Christians of many kinds pass before his jaundiced eye. Maher goes to a Creationist Museum in Kentucky, which shows that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time 5000 years ago. He talks to truckers at a Truckers' Chapel. (Sign outside: "Jesus love you.") He goes to a theme park called Holy Land in Florida. He speaks to a rabbi in league with Holocaust deniers. He talks to a Muslim musician who preaches hatred of Jews. Maher finds the unlikeliest of believers and, in a certain Vatican priest, he even finds an unlikely skeptic.

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Plot Keywords:

religion | hare krishna | jews for jesus | deception | reference to teddy pendergrass | 

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Taglines:

The end (crossed out) truth is near.

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and sexual material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew Arabic Persian Spanish

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Spiritual Journey

Filming Locations:

's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,409,643, 5 October 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,995,673, 14 December 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thousand Words

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Additional people interviewed on the "Deleted Scenes" section of the DVD release include: Howard Bloom, an anti-Muslim Jew and author of "The Lucifer Principles," M. Hasan, a store owner, Kaya Bousquet, a model, Jason Alper, a stylist; Zamzan Books and Burkah Store (discussing Muslim fashions), Benjamin Creme, a British author, artist and prophet (discussing Maitreya), David Icke, author, of "The Biggest Secret," and "Secrets of the Matrix" (arguing that the world is being run by "interdimensional" reptile-like creatures including the Bushes and the British royal family), Rael, and followers discussing their "atheist religion" that extraterrestrials called "Elohim" created all life on earth. . Michael Bray (anti-abortion activist from Wilmington, Ohio defending violent attacks on abortion providers even if uninvolved people are also hurt or killed) . Anne, Heidi, Carla, Doris Deborah, Michelle and Miranda (polygamist wives of a fundamentalist Mormon living in Salt Lake City, Utah)

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Goofs

All the comparisons between Jesus and Horus mentioned in the film are not taken seriously by any credible biblical or ancient Egypt scholar.

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Quotes

Fatima Elatik: The way I perceive things in the Koran, it's not about killing infidels or homosexuals...
Bill Maher: But you have read it there.
Fatima Elatik: Of course I've read the Koran!
Bill Maher: And you've read those passages. What did you think when you read them?
Fatima Elatik: I explain them within the time they emerged.
Bill Maher: But that's not how people read Holy Books. They don't go "Well that was good for then". People read Holy Books and say "This is the Word of God, it's forever!" That's how most people do it.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, there is one last clip of Bill Maher with his mother and sister. He tells them "I'll see you in heaven", and they laugh. His mother says "who knows," and there is a title card "In loving memory of Julie Maher, 1919-2007".

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Connections

Features Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)

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Soundtracks

Christ For President
Written by Jay Bennett, Woody Guthrie & Jeff Tweedy (as Jeffrey Scot Tweety)
Published by Woody Guthrie Publications (BMI)/ Titanic Majesties Music (ASCAP)
Administred by Bug / Warner Chappell Music Co. o/b/o Warner Tamerlane & Words Empersand Music (BMI)
Performed by Billy Bragg and Wilco
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group by arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

clever and worrying

I just come back from watching religulous. I had a great time. Bill makes a lot of fun of all those silly things people actually believe. Obviously since I am an atheist I really enjoyed this movie, and I know that most believers will reject it altogether. But there is one thing that just occurred to me as I read through the comments here, it's the fact that, yes, people like me do not go around advertising their atheism. And I saw someone writing that this was why the religious people would always dominate. Well there you have it now though... Bill Maher's movie is definitely a non-believer statement, and a wonderful one at that. I am also painfully aware that it won't change anything in the sad state of affairs in the USA. But at least it's one solid step in the right direction. Now, why do I say "worrying" in the title of my review, well it's because I think that Bill's got it straight regarding the dangers of religion. How can you expect people to make rational decisions when they reject the teachings of the very same science that provides them day in and day out better lives?