Finally got to watch the film on DVD a couple of days ago.

If you haven't seen it already - you need to!

This film has already been heavily reviewed so I pretty much thought I new what to expect. However, I really don't think that those reviews really did the film enough justice

1) I found the film consistently funny from the first to last. The sheery rank hypocrisy of many of the interviews intertwined with the complete cluelessness of others meant that there was plenty to chuckle and laugh at. Bill Maher really was not in the least bit mean to anyone he interviewed, he simply asked them questions. For the most part simple, easy softball questions, the answers to which you would be mostly astounded at

Sample : Bill asks a mega-church preacher how he can justify wearing $2,000 suits. Answer : "Well, Jesus used to wear fine clothing as well". I never knew that!

2) The film also manages to frighten the pants of a reasonable thinking person as well. It is not exactly comforting (and yet not surprising) to know that Rep. Mark Pryor (sp?, sorry) of Arkansas is convinced the Rapture is near . . . or that he simply could not imagine that without the 10 commandments we would not have figured out that killing each other is not such a good idea.

3) The film also gets pretty personal. Bill interviews his sister and his mother about their journey into unbelief. Why did this happen back in the 60s? His Catholic Dad couldn't reconcile birth control with what his church was telling him to do. After several of the interviews, Bill gives a personal perspective on what he heard which often seems a bit heartfelt as well as real . .  .and of course affords us a few laughs as well

4) The film really, truly is educational. Either stuff I did know but had forgotten, or new stuff, it really does offer a few teaching points that are worthy pieces of knowledge. For example, in recounting the creation stories of Mithra and Horus, two separate stories from the mediterranean, the similarity between those and another well know virgin birth story are, shall we say, interesting.

I had to laugh at the beginning of the film where Bill introduces us to the subject while standing in Megiddo, the supposed site where jesus will re-appear and where Armageddon will take place. I had always imagined a majestic, fertile valley with a river running through it. The bit Bill was standing in looked more like a drainage ditch. Somehow teh vision of Jesus riding his white horse back to re-appear in a drainage ditch just doesn't do it!

The film is edited into real quick segments intercut with film clips (Islamic uprising, nuclear war etc) - cutting interviews with real-world events was a real effective way to show the difference between what religious leaders say and what happens in real life

This film is definitely worth more than a single viewing. It exceeded the expectations I had for the film and I am already looking forward to a 2nd viewing!

FTFKDad