Director: Larry Charles
Cast: Bill Maher, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, Andrew Newberg, Steve Burg
Running Time: 101 minutes
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Website: http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/theatrical.html
2008 American comic documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles. According to Maher, the title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words “religion” and “ridiculous”; the documentary examines and mocks organized religion and religious belief.
A range of views on the various world religions are explored as Bill Maher travels to numerous religious destinations, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds and groups. These include a former member of Jews for Jesus, Christians, Muslims, former Mormons, and Hasidic Jews. He travels to Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London, where he “preaches” Scientology beliefs.
Maher said he used a fake title “A Spiritual Journey” for the film to obtain interviews. Creationist Ken Ham of the non-profit groupAnswers in Genesis, who appeared in the film, was critical of what he called Maher’s “deception” to obtain the interview.
The documentary was produced by Thousand Words and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment. Originally slated for an international release date coinciding with the Christian Easter holiday 2008 (March 23), post-production delays resulting from a screenwriters guild strike pushed the release date back. The film was eventually released on October 3, 2008.