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Believers can benefit from a disbeliever, especially a smart one like Bill Maher. The stand-up comic and TV commentator (“Politically Incorrect” and “Real Time With Bill Maher”) makes his big-screen debut with a lacerating essay on the illogic of religion. Believers—especially those insisting there’s no plural of “religion”—ought to expose themselves to this sarcastic inquest as an inoculation. Maher vaccinates with Enlightenment-vintage skepticism. In most instances, he talks to believers in order to mock their logic. “Not having faith is a luxury,” Maher professes. As for the theme park Jesus in Orlando and the fundamentalist Senator from Arkansas, it’s their fault they open their mouths. Intellectually, they are less nimble and lack final cut. Cheap shots include zinger reaction shots edited one nasty beat after one of Maher’s jokey transgressions. Directed by Larry Charles (”Borat” and “Masked & Dangerous”), “Religulous” travels to Armageddon, Megiddo, Golgotha, the Vatican and a Truckers Chapel in Raleigh, North Carolina. Maher is freaked that insane believers of insane beliefs about the end of the world will fulfill their mass death wish. With tunes such as “Crazy” and “Road To Nowhere”. 101m. (Bill Stamets)

“Swing Vote” is yet another hosanna to Americana, like 1997’s “The Postman” directed by Kevin Costner. Once again, Costner stars as a downscale everyman who upgrades to the great helmsman. Here he plays Bud, an alcoholic single dad laid off from his job at an egg packaging plant in New Mexico. Due to an accidentally unplugged voting machine, a vote in his name did count. And the outcome of the presidential election is undecided until he recasts his vote in ten days, the time frame of the screenplay by Joshua Michael Stern & Jason Richman. Joshua Michael Stern directs an ensemble cast stocked with news personalities, including Campbell Brown, James Carville, Mary Hart, Arianna Huffington, Bill Maher and Chris Matthews. The Republican incumbent (Kelsey Grammer) and the Democratic candidate (Dennis Hopper) come to town to woo the ultimate swing-voter. Tom Petty and Willie Nelson make cameos at the behest of the two contenders. The two campaign managers, played by Nathan Lane and Stanley Tucci, are stock types, but their quickie campaign ads to appeal to Bud’s supposed issues are brilliantly cynical. There’s scant political context in this public-service announcement: JFK is the most recent president mentioned, and there’s no trace of 9/11, Iraq or Afghanistan. “If America has a true enemy, I guess it’s me,” Bud confesses on national TV, when acknowledging a dereliction of civic duty. Madeline Carroll plays Bud’s take-charge 12-year-old daughter Molly, the single most wise, decent, competent, empowered character in the entire film. With a better wardrobe, she’d be a candidate for an American Girl doll. With Paula Patton, Judge Reinhold, George Lopez and Mare Winningham. 119m. (Bill Stamets)