ReligulousMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 16+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

91

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
He's a bombs-away provocateur, and in Religulous, Maher's blasphemous detonation of all things holy and scriptural, he doesn't really pretend to play fair. He's like Lenny Bruce with an inquiring mind and a video camera. Read full review
88

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
You may very well hate it, but at least you've been informed. Perhaps you could enjoy the material about other religions, and tune out when yours is being discussed. That's only human nature. Read full review
75

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Maher can be a smartass, but his attempts to apply reason to religion are more a challenge than a threat. Read full review
75

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Those with a taste for irreverent humor and clear-eyed analysis will find it funny, enlightening and disturbing. Read full review
70

Variety | Robert Koehler
To the film's credit, Maher never engages in Michael Moore-style gotcha tactics, but rather asks questions that raise more questions, in the form of a Socratic dialogue. To believers expecting a blind hatchet job, this will prove both thought-provoking and a bit disarming; skeptics may be surprised (as Maher is) by the occasionally smart replies to his queries. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
Maher makes Michael Moore look incredibly likable in comparison. Read full review
50

The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt
By focusing so narrowly on religious fundamentalists and bigots while ignoring any spiritual dimension to religion, the film is not only being disingenuous but limits its audience to non-believers. Read full review
50

The New York Times | Stephen Holden
Much of Mr. Maher's film is extremely funny in a similarly irreverent, offhanded way. Some true believers -- at least those who have a sense of humor about their faith -- may even be amused. But most will not. Read full review
30

Washington Post |
One of the rules of satire is that you can't mock things you don't understand, and Religulous starts developing fault lines when it becomes clear that Maher's view of religious faith is based on a sophomoric reading of the Scriptures and that he doesn't understand that some thoughtful people actually do believe in some sort of spiritual life. Read full review
30

Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan
Though he claims to be a seeker, someone who "has to find out" why believers believe, Maher sets out not after answers but cheap laughs that preach, so to speak, to the converted. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Religulous on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Provocative comedy/documentary examines faith.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this provocative documentary about religion in the modern world is meant for adults. Star Bill Maher makes no claims to impartiality; he's unwavering in his belief that humans can't possibly know if there's a god and that religions are man-made power structures designed to absolve or encourage anti-social or immoral behavior. Maher looks at all faiths -- Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Scientology, and more -- and proceeds to articulate and analyze what he sees as their historical and logical failings. There's lots of strong language, some nudity (in film clips), and extensive discussion of hot-button issues involving sex, power, violence, and more.

Families can talk about the film's take on religion. Do you agree with Maher? Why or why not? Do you think the media is the appropriate place to discuss issues related to religion? What do you think Maher's intent was in making this movie? Does he succeed? Families can also discuss the film's uneasy mix of sociology and slapstick -- does the film gain an audience by being funny, at the risk of failing to make a real point?

The good stuff

Positive messages: The entire film is a discussion of religion in the modern world, with Bill Maher travelling the globe to talk with religious leaders of all faiths. Maher says he believes that "religion is detrimental to the progress of humanity." Maher examines religiously motivated violence, prejudice, and sexism, as well as abuses of power by religious authorities. The film also states Maher's belief (shared by authors like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris) that, in an age of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, the conflicts and commands driven by religious extremism are no longer something that "rational" people can allow to go unchallenged. Jokes are made about Catholic, Islamic, Mormon, Scientologist, and Jewish stereotypes and cultural ideas.

What to watch for

Violence: Violent images of suicide bombings, warfare, the 9-11 attacks, the explosion of the Hindenburg, and more; discussion of murders committed in the name of religion; armed marchers brandish guns and grenades; violent imagery (including extensive blood) as part of a theme park performance depicting the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Discussion of rape, weapons of mass destruction, torture, the Holocaust, Armageddon, and holy war. News images of a murder victim's body.
Sex: Discussion of Catholic Church sex scandals; discussion of prostitution; three brief clips from adult-themed films with implied sexuality and nude female breasts. Discussion of masturbation, birth control, sexual acts, marital and pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. An English landmark -- a cliff carving depicting a naked man -- is shown.
Language: Very strong language throughout, including "s--t," "bulls--t," "blow job," "pissed," "f--k," "hell," "damn," "balls," "p---y," " vagina," "ass," "a--hole," and more.
Consumerism: Lots of clips from other films and TV shows are used for comedic or artistic effect or discussed for their cultural significance; the list includes Superbad, Scarface, Oprah, Planet of the Apes, Lawrence of Arabia, The Tonight Show, CNN, Fox News, The Flintstones, Hell Town, Star Wars: Episode I, Saturday Night Live, The Ten Commandments, Jason and the Argonauts, and many more. Brands mentioned include Starbucks, Craigslist, and more.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drug abuse is discussed, with "diet pills," "ludes," "speed," "crank," and others mentioned; Maher interviews a believer in "Cantheism," which involves using marijuana as a religious sacrament; marijuana is smoked on screen, with clear demonstrations of how it blunts mental acuity and memory.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.