Oh Religulous DVD, you try so hard, and still feel so flat. The audio commentary follows the usual tiresome format: there is discussion of behind-the-scenes drivel such as difficulty with locations, how strange or nice some of the interviewees were, and so on. Bill Maher and the director, Larry Charles, failed to provide any new or unique insight, and unlike in the comedic film, they don’t elicit a single laugh.

One of the real downfalls of the commentary is how self-congratulatory Maher manages to sound. He’s made a film he believes in, and part of the posturing is his personality shining through. But he appears to chalk up any failures with the film to religious people working against them. In the commentary, Maher also insists that they made an effort to speak to very big names in the religious world, but a Senator from Arkansas and a man who pretends to be the second coming of Christ do not add much credence to Maher’s endeavor.

A truly great feature on a pretty sparse special features list is a collection of Maher’s monologues from around the world, performances that failed to make the final cut of the film. He’s at his comedic best when spinning off one-liners, but his monologues allow him the space to verbally lead the audience through his anti-religious thesis. From the windows of Amsterdam, Maher discusses sex as an antidote for suicide bombers, and in another scene in front of the Anne Frank House he makes a case for Nazism being a religion. Several of these scenes were already included in the movie, which is a bit sad. Many more monologues and deleted scenes both should have been included in the film, as well as additional ones in special features.

Deleted scenes seem to be included mostly for laughs, as Maher looks decidedly uncomfortable in his interview with the writer of The Lucifer Principle who rails against Muslims for a while. In another scene, Maher takes a trip to a Burkah store, and confronts the owner about certain Islamic tenets concerning the treatment of women. The fun continues as Maher interviews several even more crazy individuals, including one man who believes that every major world leader is a reptilian, and a high priest who contends that he was contacted by aliens from another planet.

These additional interviews are amusing, yet Maher knows his case is not strengthened by their inclusion, and so they are relegated to special features. It seems pretty clear that he wants to make a film that will be taken seriously: in the audio commentary, he and the director complain about being passed over in Oscar nominations. The problem, in a way, is that Maher in the end believes he is right. The people he interviews believe they are right. Maher intends for the film to be seen by people of all faiths, but with smirking derision, it is unlikely that the film will change anyone’s mind, as the people who will see this documentary have already made up their minds one way or the other. There’s no room for exploring, for dialogue, and that is ultimately what sets this film squarely outside the realm of Oscar contender.

With a few more noteworthy DVD extras, this could have been one of the better releases of the year. Yet, with such skimpy material, one is left wanting more.

Tags: bill maher, religulous