I went and saw Bill Maher's new film "Religulous" the other day and got what I wanted: lots of chuckles at the ridiculous religious. Actually, I laughed out loud several times, as did the sympathetic audience of about 100 people I watched it with in the theater.
Mayer is a smirking slug of a dimwit in real life, but has a knack for ambush and employs it here to great effect. He napalms the smugistas in the film. And he's an equal-opportunity mystic smasher, going after the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, etc.
One of the best scenes is when he cites the Bible, and a "traveling trailer reverend" says, "That's not in the Bible." And Mayer says, "Oh, yes it is." And the reverend stands there with a dumbfounded look on his face. The camera eats it up and the audience thrills. Mayer also goes after an Arkansas congressman who doesn't believe in evolution. The congressman was told by Mayer's reps that someone would be coming by to talk about how religion is a part of the congressman's life and decisions. The congressman didn't know the reps were Mayer's. If you want to see discomfort, wait till you see the squirming official answer Mayer's queries.
Mayer is a self-proclaimed agnostic, so don't expect much from him. He's often too sympathetic of his subjects, backing off when he's got 'em by the throats and could squeeze another five minutes of hilarity out of them.
But if you need a laugh at the people who enslave mankind and find solace on their knees (in not a sexual way), gives this movie a try. It's a hoot.
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