Dogma Review
by Sean Townsend (seanman AT ibm DOT net)December 7th, 1999
DOGMA
STARRING: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith DIRECTOR: Kevin Smith
WRITTEN BY: Kevin Smith
In the North America of the late 90's, a time and place wherein the description "devout Catholic" is an oxymoron, you wouldn't think a film like Dogma would have had trouble finding a distributor, much less require the painfully self-embarrassed disclaimer which precedes it. Surely even the most pious, guilt-ridden RC couldn't possibly take offense to something Smith rightly calls a "comic fantasy," something so purposely irreverent it rivals the Great Schism for sheer, laugh-out-loud ludicrousness. I mean, come on. We're talking about a movie that features Damon and Affleck as fallen angels (complete with really fake-looking wings) who discover a policy loophole that will either allow them to get back into Heaven with a clean slate-- or cause the obliteration of everything, depending on whom you ask. We're talking about dusky-voiced Fiorentino as a heroine whose family tree contains more 'begot's than the Book of Genesis, and Chris Rock as "Rufus, the Thirteenth Apostle," who insists he was written out of the Bible because he's black. We're talking about inspired bits of ironic casting like Alanis Morissette as God, or better yet, George Carlin as a Cardinal who interprets Jesus' "Let the children come unto me," as "Get 'em when they're young." We're talking about stoners Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith, who show up as these same characters in every Smith movie) as prophets, fer chrissakes. By all rights, a film this goofy should have inspired nothing more than simple indifference, and not just in Catholics.
Yet for the most part, it all clicks. Damon and Affleck are ideal as millennia-old buddies; their scenes together have a seemingly effortless, comfortable ease, and they even get to poke fun at speculation about their offscreen relationship. Certain corporate idolaters are slammed mercilessly, to hilarious effect. Even Jay's juvenile, expletive-riddled banter, annoying as it can be, often provides a shockingly funny counterpoint when the going threatens to get serious. The film does lose some steam in the late going, however, and the ending doesn't match the promise of the first half. Still, Dogma ends up being a thoughtful and heartfelt expression of Smith's simple message about the difference between ideas and beliefs, faith and religion, and why we're all here.
GRADE: ***
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