Religulous

Religion is the opium of society according to Karl Marx, and Bill Maher feels no differently. Venturing into the religious heartlands of America and beyond, the star of US TV’s Real Time quizzes religious leaders, politicians and the ground level followers of faith, not to gain insight into spirituality, but more to prove them wrong. Religion has been integral to comedy since the days of Aristophanes, and it’s no coincidence that most comics are either Catholic or Jewish (Maher is both). It should be hilarious, and it is, with some astonishing glimpses into the fundamentalist psyche (there are visits to a Jesus theme park and a creationist science museum) providing enough comedy gold to make a thousand sacred calves. But while Maher and Borat director Charles keep the gags flowing, there is something uncomfortably smug and self-congratulatory about the whole enterprise, though a final Milk-style speech makes its intentions clear. [Michael Gillespie]