Divine comedy

"Dogma"
Overall Rating: ****




Recently, I described "Jakob the Liar" as a cross between "Life is Beautiful" and "Good Morning, Vietnam." Last week, I described "The Bone Collector" as a mix of "Rear Window," "Seven," and the TV show "Quincy." This week, we have "Dogma:" this film is the strangest mutant hybrid of them all: part "Stigmata," and part "Mallrats"--or any Kevin Smith comedy, though it's easily the best of the whole Jay/Silent Bob series.

"Dogma" opens with a series of events that seem only barely related. There's the strange attack by three teens on an apparently homeless man (Bud Cort) on a New Jersey boardwalk. These three will soon prove themselves to be demons disguised as teens--for they help the fallen angel Azrael (Jason Lee) to kill the occupant of a suburban home, and make it his headquarters on Earth. This doesn't seem to have any bearing on Cardinal Glick (George Carlin), who, using an archaic doctrine to enhance a rededication ceremony for a church, offers absolution to anyone who enters the church. However, this rededication ceremony is of great interest to Loki and Bartleby (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck respectively)--a pair of fallen angels who see this absolution as their ticket back into Heaven. Meanwhile, Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who now runs an abortion clinic, is just the person to stop them--if she can find two prophets and the lost, thirteenth apostle.

To describe "Dogma" as irreverent isn't accurate, though the movie's views on religion are definitely unconventional and humorous, and the controversy surrounding it is understandable. I'm sure that some people won't like the fictional Cardinal Glick trying to make the Catholic Church trendy. I'm equally sure there are many people who won't like the movie's constant insistence that God isn't too choosy when it comes to religion and that no one doctrine is correct. Nor will the film's assertion that God has a sense of humor find universal appeal. Throw in a depiction of a God who is not completely omnipotent, and Who sometimes chooses to be a Woman, and writer/director/co-star Kevin Smith had a sure bet on offending many people--despite his apparently sincere religious convictions (which extend to thanking God in the credits) and his depiction of God as benevolent.

But if you don't find the film offensive, you'll probably find it hilarious. Only "Dogma" would depict fallen angels as being condemned to spend eternity in Wisconsin. Only here would someone, confronted with a non-consuming fire (a la the burning bush, except indoors), respond with a fire extinguisher. Only in this film would you see God (played by rock singer Alanis Morissette) do a headstand. No other film would dare cast comedian Chris Rock as the lost, thirteenth apostle Rufus. For the not-so-easily offended, from disclaimer to credits, the film is almost constant laughs.

The big-name cast, though obviously highly unconventional, is universally wonderful. Who stands out? Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith are both excellent as Jay and Silent Bob; the two famous characters play a more prominent role here than in the previous films, and the actors easily keep pace. Linda Fiorentino is also very good as Bethany--who has to resolve her crisis of faith, and put up with Jay. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are the best as the fallen angels. Both characters--who are almost always on-screen together and often play off each other--go through a significant transformations--Damon and Affleck handle their roles perfectly. And, as an admitted Alanis fan, I have to add that she was good as God--a role that didn't involve any spoken lines.

"Dogma" isn't perfect, even to this enthusiast. There's a reference to a "package"--but if there was an explanation of what that package was, I missed it. While, as a train buff I found it appealing, I have no idea why all the characters--when in a desperate hurry to get from Illinois to New Jersey--invariably choose ground transportation. Throw in a character who is inexplicably wounded, and one place where the film might have been too predictable (I'm still undecided on that point), and the result is a frustrating number of minor loose ends.

Aside from the unconventional theology, parents should also be aware that "Dogma" has copious strong language, plenty of sexual references, numerous drug references, and several very violent scenes.

If you stay for the credits, you'll get to hear one of the jokes again. You'll also find out that Jay and Silent Bob will return in "Clerks 2."

Despite its lofty subject matter, "Dogma" is a successful comedy. It's been a long time since I've seen a funnier movie.

Title: "Dogma"
Release date: November 12, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****
Aprox. run time: 128 min.
Director: Kevin Smith
Writer: Kevin Smith
Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/Dogma.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09