Alicia
I love this movie so much
Hottoceame
The Age of Commercialism
Ensofter
Overrated and overhyped
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
offdwallnotdrack
I'm a fairly new atheist myself. I've been agnostic for about 4 years now, and just recently made the almost equivalent leap to atheism. I've been fascinated by religion ever since, sort of in the same way one would be fascinated by Hitler. I've heard a lot of good points and thousands of facts to support atheism, and I for one, need no further convincing, but sometimes I think that atheists need to be reminded how hard it is for someone to lose their faith, no matter how much evidence there is to support such a decision. I grew up very Christian. I was involved in numerous organizations such as AWANA, numerous Christian bible studies and car clubs, and was even a Christian summer camp counselor, and letting go of god was absolutely the hardest thing i've ever had to do, but a decision I don't regret for one second. Once the chains are completely off of you, you feel like you've never felt before, and it's great. Julia Sweeney's journey through all of this was sooo similar to my own, that I just immediately felt connected with her. I think it's the same journey many of us have taken, and she really takes the time and care to chronicle this journey and doesn't set out to demonize anyone, but just to educate, it just so happens that education sometimes involves pointing out the ignorance of some people, or in this case...many. For people born an Atheist, I would really suggest watching this, so that you can understand how hard it really is for a religious person to make this transition, and then maybe it will help you out when dealing or talking to someone about "god", and I would DEFINITELY recommend this for any person of faith struggling with their beliefs and desiring to let go, it will really help you out and make you feel less scared to do so.
birdseed-11
I watched this last night on cable. I was intrigued by the other reviewers here so I gave it a shot. That was a mistake.Julia Sweeney was a fine character actor on SNL, but as a comedy writer, philosopher or theologian she is pathetic.One person stage shows rarely make interesting movies or television. This was no exception.Her jokes reached too far into incredulity. She pushed the premise of her jokes so far that you could tell she was trying desperately to make a joke out of something. One almost got to the point of rooting for her to find the punchline just so she could move on to the next topic. She's a much better performer than writer. She needs someone to write for her.As a philosopher Ms. Sweeney is easily confused. Again, trying to make light of deep questions is very hard, well beyond the means of Ms. Sweeney. One could see the point she should be coming to but then she missed it, sometimes intentionally just to make a joke, and usually a bad one at that.As a theologian Ms. Sweeney has a lot to learn. She tried to come off as this 'been there done that, I know better now' wise man but really most of her questions could have been answered by her local priest. She just didn't bother to ask the right people.Clearly Ms. Sweeney has lost her way spiritually. I understand the cancer scare and the profound effect it can have on someone who is self-centered. When all you think about is yourself, it's very hard to accept that bad things happen to you too. So, in an apparent act of revenge, she has sacrificed her faith in an effort to make a buck on this show and movie. It sounded like what she has done was pursue atheism with the intent of arriving there in a comical way so she could make a few bucks on it.I gave this movie a 2 instead of a 1 because of the good stagecraft. The set was nicely done and functional.
tim-walker4
I saw Julia perform this show in Las Vegas in 2007 before an audience of skeptics. She received a standing ovation. The show is clever, thought provoking and funny. She explains in her gentle way her personal path to becoming an atheist. "God Said Ha!" (produced by Quentin Tarantino) which detailed a traumatic year for her described the first part of her journey from being a good Catholic girl to her position as a non-believer. In it she tells the story of how her brother developed cancer. While she was caring for him she discovered that she too had the disease. Julia survived. Her brother didn't. "Letting Go of God" carries on from there. Ms Sweeney comes across as a very warm, decent human being. I've spoken with her after seeing her shows and her humanity shines through. It's well worth seeing this film - no matter which side of the fence you're on - because it may well change your outlook on life. Highly recommended.
tika bordelon
the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is having the world premiere of this film and i was fortunate enough to see a press screening today. somehow i missed the live tour and i'm very sad about that as this looked like it was such an intimate, thought provoking show. julia delivers her one woman monologue in her usual, witty way. i was thoroughly delighted every moment of this live film. i can't give away anything but i will say it was a pleasure to listen & watch julia speak about her spiritual journey/evolution and her realistic outlook on life. when this film comes to your city, do yourself a favour and see it with a group of friends or family. you'll laugh out-loud, get teary-eyed and rejoice in the intelligent criticisms before you. i LOVED it!