Jun 11 2008'Religulous' Trailer Preaches to Some Sort of Non-Religious Choir
Looks like Bill Maher has picked up on Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock's innovative style of "Something is bullshit, now let me tell you why--also, I'm the hilarious star!" documentary-making. Teamed up with Borat director Larry Charles, Maher has a new film coming out named for what I assume is a portmanteau of religious and ridiculous, Religulous. (Because religion is ridiculous. Get it?) Hopefully when all those religious nuts in the world watch this--which they clearly will, because they're all huge Bill Maher fans and want to see him openly mock them for two hours--they'll finally realize how stupid they are. Well done, Bill. It turns out religion isn't infallible! Using the pure logic that is the format of Leno's Jaywalking sketches, you've utterly destroyed the institution! Now if someone would just make a movie pointing out how that Bush fellow is a bit of a moron. Oh, right...


Reader Comments
1. Jack Ryan - June 11, 2008 4:22 PM
Ben Stein tried it and it stank.
Somehow that format doesn't work well for conservatives.
Good for Bill. It looks like a real hit.
2. The Kilted Yaksman - June 11, 2008 4:27 PM
It's a shame that the people writing for this site aren't as smart and funny as Bill Maher.
3. Chris - June 11, 2008 4:43 PM
I don't trust any comedian that gets more applause than laughs.
4. wendy - June 11, 2008 4:49 PM
I don't know I think this site is funnier than Bill Maher and the author clearly is more smart.
5. emily - June 11, 2008 5:14 PM
One self-righteous asshole is not going to convice other self-righteous assholes of anything, especially when he's doing it by being an unpleasant, confrontational self-righteous asshole.
If there's one up-his-own-ass twat I can't stand, it's Bill Maher. I'd rather watch a day's worth of Bill O'Reilly, Michael Moore, and Ann Coulter screaming at each other about gay latino abortions than see Bill Maher preaching to everyone about how smart he is and how dumb you are.
6. The JuRK - June 11, 2008 5:14 PM
It would be easy to feel queasy because of Maher's anti-religious obnoxiousness...but I've seen his shows, both the cancelled "Politically Incorrect" and the ratings-deficient "Real Time," and I can confidently despise him for being the preening, condescending humorless prick who stacks his shows, panders to a retarded audience and whines like a bitch every time he cancelled, which in Maher's view is "censorship." An ugly little pimp.
7. Escape Monotony - June 11, 2008 5:39 PM
Man, whether you agree with his view or not, I just feel like taking a shower after watching the preview for 2 minutes...I couldn't imagine 90 minutes of watching that. He just seems like he lathers himself in crisco every morning and then flops around on his plastic covered couch.
8. just minding my own - June 11, 2008 5:47 PM
oh boy, can't just leave well enough alone. let people believe what they want to believe, period.... and that goes for people that believe nothing too. Co-Exist jackass.
9. Thomas - June 11, 2008 6:46 PM
Yeah...just like those Christians and Jews and Muslims always keep to themselves. You're right. Everyone should just mind their own business.
Uh...HELLO? When people bring up bullshit ideas and parade them around as the truth I, for one, enjoy it when others start mocking them publicly.
And "anti-religious obnoxiousness"? I'm not sure it's possible for someone who isn't religious to be more obnoxious than religious people. I can't remember the last time Bill Maher told me I was going to burn in a fiery pit for jerking off in the privacy of my own home. But the religious people? They have no end of things to say about my lifestyle and how inferior it is in relation to their own. No.....that's not obnoxious at all.
10. Holy Crap! - June 11, 2008 7:42 PM
SCIENCE BE PRAISED! RELIGION WILL SOON BE AT AN END!
11. tmhs - June 11, 2008 7:55 PM
Cue the atheist circle jerk! "Aww yeah, we're so right about everythin'. Now but your other hand in my butt."
12. tmhs - June 11, 2008 7:58 PM
Oh, AND, he tried to release it on easter weekend (which anyone can agree is just a total act of doucebaggery). But it got pushed back twice to October! Suck it!
13. Jesus Christ - June 11, 2008 8:41 PM
I dunno. I think it looked really entertaining and kind of interesting.
I have no problem with Maher. He's an intelligent guy that says what he wants and refuses to dumb his shows down. People like him cause ignorant people to get self-conscious and lash out at them for being arrogant or out of touch or boring or something. People dont like to feel stupid. But most are. So intelligent people are adamantly rebuked by America
14. Profit Mohamed - June 11, 2008 8:54 PM
I am looking forward to this film! Durka Lurka Jihad!
15. emily - June 12, 2008 12:15 AM
@ 9
A self-important dick who thinks he knows all the answers that goes by any other name is still a self-important dick. If you're really "not sure it's possible for someone who isn't religious to be more obnoxious than religious people," I find it hard to believe that you've ever seen Bill Maher smirk his way through an hour of the pompous "Why don't you believe what I believe? I'm so smart, so you must be retarded and not worth my time!" bullshit he slaps together and calls a show.
His only fans are other sanctimonious, self-satisfied fucks who get pleasure from knowing that somewhere out there, there's someone just as smug and all-knowing as they are-- and he makes money at it, so their mission must be righteous! I can't believe he tries to pass off his asshole behavior as comedy, but, then again, I can't believe he has a career at all.
16. johnnyabnormal - June 12, 2008 3:22 AM
Ah, the "believers"...who don't understand the difference between fairy tales and knowledge. It's useless to bombard them with facts since their reality doesn't require any... If one person suffers from a delusion, it's called insanity. If many people suffer from a delusion, it's called religion.
17. is this for real? - June 12, 2008 4:08 AM
to the original author of this post..
so interviewing people honestly 1 on 1 is ripping off jay leno sketches? wow that is both short sighted and stupid, good job. let the man say what he wants to. im not going to even begin to discuss religion with the fellow folks in this comment section but obviously if you hate that this one man is asking questions you are playing directly into his stuff. this film seems to be an examination (whether or not its an honest one) of how people see stuff. those dumb enough to hate it are the ones who he is pointing out as slaves to this continued retardation. good job to the god squad who think blog responses will constrict free speech. this country may be run by a bible toting bastard, but it doesnt mean we all buy in blindly.
18. film_goer - June 12, 2008 4:10 AM
wow that last dude made sense. i dont usually see that round here
19. bible toting bastard - June 12, 2008 4:32 AM
As the religious nut running this country (thank you, #17, for outing me), I'm just glad that Bill Maher isn't on our side. Frankly, even the most obnoxious religious freaks couldn't reach the toxic levels of douchebaggery as Bill Maher.
20. Holy Crap! - June 12, 2008 8:54 AM
"this film seems to be an examination (whether or not its an honest one) of how people see stuff."
I fail to see how a dishonest and fundamentally skewed examination of anything can provide people with any insight into the subject's culture or world. If anything, it merely shows the investigator's own personal biases and inability to accept or understand why people believe or behave in a certain way. This has been the chief crime of American Christianity of the last 50 years (well, that and promoting racism); and I'm glad to see that Bill Maher is willing to prove it's not because people are Christians, but because people are people.
21. Escape Monotony - June 12, 2008 11:13 AM
Nice point #20. I to would love to see how much editing went into taking out every reasonable Christian's interviews to make it appear as though every single person interviewed was simply a trailor park tard, or an insane born again speaking in tongues off kilter zealot. I am no church goer myself, but it so happens that I think Christians in general happen to be some of the most charitable and giving, caring and considerate people in America. For the most part, that is how they are taught to be. Obviously there are some bad seeds, just as there are in any cross section of society.
If you don't believe in hell, why would you care if someone says you are going to burn there (@9).
@13, that was one of the more ridiculous things I have ever read. He is intelligent, therefore he is right, therefore he makes dumb people feel bad, therefore his shows get cancelled because dumb people of the world unite and rebuke him. Problem is there will be plenty of other intelligent people that will seriously beg to differ with your starting premeise (that Maher is in fact intelligent). I for one don't trust anyone who is A) a libertarian B) looks like they don't take showers more than once a week tops.
22. PB&J - June 12, 2008 12:11 PM
Nuke gay whales for Jesus.
23. Pat - June 12, 2008 2:02 PM
Alright, Bill, I agree with you: religion is dumb. To quote C-Lo, I believe man made God out of ignorance of fear.
But why make a movie in which you go around mocking people? It's not a great/interesting idea.
24. momboelitist - June 12, 2008 3:27 PM
"If there's one up-his-own-ass twat I can't stand, it's Bill Maher."
As a Christian I can't really say things like the above quote, so I'm glad someone else did it for me.
I happen to catch that clip of his show where some guy got tossed from the audience. It was amusing when Bill (with 20 security people in front of him) threatened to kick the guy's ass. It was like one of those let me go/hold me back moments.
25. Holy Crap! - June 12, 2008 6:52 PM
Thank you #21. To be fair, Bill Maher isn't going out for just Christians, but all religious folks as well (I wonder if he went after ascetic jews as well?). Notice the gay fundamentalist muslims in the trailer? Essentially, Bill Maher thinks anyone who believes in God and allows that belief to hold sway on their life (is 80% of the world's population a good estimate on that?) are ridiculous and foolish.
26. Jay Maher - June 12, 2008 11:32 PM
BM is just that.
a BM.
27. Wow... - June 13, 2008 9:48 AM
Oh come on people. None of you HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE. Are you really going to pretend to understand it's scope, how its edited, its point, from a frickin' trailer?
28. FilmGuyUT - June 13, 2008 12:59 PM
@27
"Oh come on people. None of you HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE. Are you really going to pretend to understand it's scope, how its edited, its point, from a frickin' trailer?"
Answer: Yes.
Those of us in the film industry, as well as any semi-intelligent moviegoer, knows that a trailer is intended to summarize the content, style, and theme of the film itself, in order to draw interested viewers into the marketing maelstrom.
The odds are good that the film will be like the trailer: extreme points of view, self-righteous ego-stroking. In other words, exactly like 6th grade.
29. God is Love - June 17, 2008 7:46 PM
the world is tough enough as it is...
honestly ... does bill maher and do we all really believe that this movie is going to help his cause? ... does he really think that religeous people are suddenly going to realize how stupid they are and have always being??
the guy is doing this to make the almighty dollar ... but then again if he really thinks that this is the best way to "help" religeous folk realize their folly, then i guess he really is not as intelligent as he thinks he is
and this goes to both the bill maher types trying to "help" the religeously stupid and the religeous types trying to "save" the bill maher types
30. eamonn - March 1, 2009 4:59 AM
"Thereare ways that seem right to a man ,but they are the ways of death"the one who has ears let him hear,the one that has eyes let them see"
31. eamonn - March 1, 2009 5:03 AM
didn i get to this????
32. eamonn - March 1, 2009 5:06 AM
there is no folly....the only truth in the world and the word that saves humanity is the gospel of Jesus Christ"
33. whocares - July 4, 2009 1:58 AM
This article and the comments were more entertaining than anything that BM could have ever produced. I guess he is worth something after all. Thank you all for a good time.
34. whocares - July 4, 2009 2:05 AM
Ps. "eamonn". What the heck are you talking about? Oh never mind.