Editor’s note: Due to a problem with the projection, the press screening this reviewer attended malfunctioned for approximately 20 minutes of Religulous.

Who says you can’t poke fun at Jesus? Certainly not Bill Maher.

All angry drum-beating aside, Maher’s documentary on religion, Religulous, is entertaining while trying to make its point. Director Larry Charles (Borat) directs another deliberately provocative piece, albeit one with a less clever format used to deliver the message. The film proves limited in its insights on the troubles with organized religion, but it nonetheless makes for a worthwhile viewing.

The documentary is most endearing when framed as a personal journey for Maher, the son of a Catholic father and Jewish mother. Maher recounts his father’s separation from the Catholic Church over the issue of birth control and how they “never talked” about how his mom was Jewish.

Once Maher starts traveling the globe, he doesn’t skimp on locations. He goes to the Vatican (actually, in front of the Vatican – he is kicked out when he tries to go inside), Megiddo, the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall – a remarkable coup for Maher, considering it’s a documentary on the ills of organized religion.

But it’s the interviews with religious figures that really are the meat of the film, so it’s fortunate most are humorous and surprising. The use of subtitles proves a comic goldmine, particularly when they serve as fact checks.

When a preacher asks to be addressed as “Doctor,” we are informed via subtitle he holds no degrees of any kind. An interview with an Imam is interrupted when the orthodox Muslim man receives a phone call, and the subtitles clue us in to the text message he types back: “Death 2 Bill Maher. LOL.”

Maher also gets some choice quotes out of his subjects, such as when Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) offers, “You don’t need an IQ test to be a senator.” And a visit to a Disney-like religious theme park – complete with clips of an employee in Jesus-garb doing a dance routine to The Byrds’ tune “Jesus Is Just Alright” – is another comic highlight.

Never one for shyness, Maher pushes buttons mercilessly with his interview subjects, sometimes resulting in uncomfortable condescension. Seeing Maher basically make fun of religious people who are politely answering his questions is unpleasant, rather than funny. When Maher defends his disbelief of the story of Jonah and the whale to a Christian, saying, “I’m not a 10-year-old,” he’s not adding anything worthwhile to the discussion.

Perhaps the most unexpectedly candid interview subjects are two Vatican priests, who seem shockingly self aware. Both men openly acknowledge logical flaws in the practice and base of their religion, giving Maher strong answers to his questions.

Though the interviews are funny, Maher and the Religulous team spend far too much time establishing the Bible doesn’t make rational sense – a “duh” point that doesn’t merit the screen time it receives. Some people may try to argue otherwise (Maher finds a man who purports to prove the Bible using science), but for a mainstream audience, this material is mostly fluff.

The film’s best argument is invoked by appealing to people’s fears, a tactic Maher has criticized the government for numerous times. Still, it’s the most powerful piece of persuasion in Religulous’ arsenal. What Maher and Charles really are trying to say is not that people aren’t allowed to hold their own religious beliefs – it’s that when those beliefs are forced on others, problems begin.

Clips of suicide bombings and other examples of religious violence are interspersed with Maher literally preaching next to a burning bush. The end message is nothing if not subtle: “Grow up, or die,” Maher concludes.

The bottom line is that Religulous is mostly funny and occasionally thought provoking. You don’t have to agree with Maher to enjoy his documentary, but it might make you think twice about organized religion, which is really the whole point.

dan.benamor@gmail.com