Dogma (1999)
Linda Fiorentino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Salma Hayek, Janeane Garofalo, Bud Cort, Alanis Morissette, Barrett Hackney, Jared Pfenningwerth, Kitao Sakurai. Music by Howard Shore. Cinematography by Robert D. Yeoman. Written and directed by Kevin Smith. 125 minutes.
Rated R, 4 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott
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At one point in the controversial religious comedy "Dogma," an irritated apostle turns to a human and snaps, "I have issues with anyone who treats God like a burden rather than a blessing, the way some of you Catholics do. You people don't celebrate your faith; you mourn it." Amen! There are few things more annoying than "true believers" who squander the miracle of life by trudging joylessly through their days, scowling at the wonders around them while passing judgment on anyone who does not adhere to their particular interpretation of "divine truth."
Take, for example, the Catholic League, who has spent months campaigning against "Dogma." They haven't actually seen the film, mind you, but they did read a version of the script over the Internet and that was good enough to set off a series of protests from the outraged members.
Aw, fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.
Writer, director and practicing Catholic Kevin Smith, the man behind "Clerks," "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy," tackles a lot in his fourth feature. If anything, "Dogma" suffers from trying to cram too many ideas into one movie. Stripped of its mountain of biblically sound exposition, the story boils down to this: two renegade angels, cast out of Heaven, find a theological loophole that will allow them back in. Unfortunately, if they succeed in their quest, they will prove God fallible and our world will wink out of existence. So a distant descendent of a pivotal religious figure gets recruited to stop them.
"Dogma" is a wildly uneven film. Dense and overly talky, it is consistently funny, vulgar and thought provoking. Moments of sheer brilliance bang into segments of juvenile crap (I mean that literally. In the movie's grossest scene, our heroes do battle with a shit demon). Simple, eloquent statements about spirituality collide with self-righteous tirades as excessively pious as those typically made by the organized religion blowhards being satirized. "Dogma" is a mess, but a glorious one. This is clearly a labor of love and devotion. As with his previous works, Kevin Smith doesn't know when to shut up. Another script rewrite and some severe editing would help the story immeasurably. Still, "Dogma" remains an exhilarating treat that couldn't have been created by any other author.
Your enjoyment of the film will depend in large part on your reaction to Jay and Silent Bob, two mainstays of Kevin Smith movies who get a lion's share of screen time here. I find the hapless stoners hilarious. Jay (Jason Mewes) is an explosive motormouth obsessed with getting laid (after an encounter with a deity in female form, he confesses to getting a stiffy). His constant companion Silent Bob (director Kevin Smith) is a stout, stoic soul who always manages to come through when it counts. Together they make up the funniest duo since Abbott and Costello.
But Jay and Silent Bob are just two of a cavalcade of unique characters. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck do fine work as Loki and Bartleby, the rampaging angels causing all the trouble. Their squabbles and philosophical discussions are consistently engaging. Chris Rock is a hoot as Rufus, the smart aleck 13th apostle (he believes he was edited out of the Bible because of his skin color). Salma Hayek and Jason Lee make lively appearances as a pair of muses with decidedly different outlooks. And, get this: George Carlin plays Cardinal Glick, the personification of all that is wrong with organized religion. To make the church more palatable to contemporary citizens, he cooks up a public relations campaign called "Catholicism - - Wow!" that replaces the old, "depressing" crucifix with a new icon, the "Buddy Christ": a cheesy, brightly colored Jesus who flashes a toothy smile while pointing at the faithful and giving them a big thumbs-up.
Anchoring all this lunacy is Metatron (Alan Rickman), a weary angel who serves as the earthly voice of God, and Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) a faith-impaired Catholic reluctantly drawn into the role of savior. Rickman and Fiorentino are wonderful as the best-drawn characters in the story. A subdued waterside conversation between the two marks one of the most touching parts of the film.
The release of "Dogma" will likely bring a storm of damnation from various commentators representing the religious establishment. I suggest you see the film and decide for yourself. Despite its flaws and excesses, I found the production extremely entertaining and very spiritual. I lost both of my parents over the last year and, in the months since, have found myself numb in areas of faith. The night after seeing "Dogma," I finally closed my eyes and had a long conversation with God. Thanks for the nudge, Kevin.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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