Dogma--Bless This Movie

Sometimes good movies are not for everyone. There are great movies like Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange and Kids that just simply aren’t accessible to all people. Dogma is probably a movie that falls within those bounds. It uses religion, violence and vulgarity tied up in one big entertaining package. To some, that package may be toxic. To me, it’s pure entertainment.

Director Kevin Smith burst on the scene with his groundbreaking comedy, Clerks. He then followed it up with the less than satisfying Mallrats. His third film was the very entertaining Chasing Amy. With that film, he definitely matured as a filmmaker. Yes, there was plenty of sophomoric humor. But, there was also plenty of sweetness and mature dialogue. He fourth film from the New Jersey trilogy (confusing I know) was the wonderful Dogma. It’s his spin on the world of religion, specifically Catholicism and it’s a gem of a film.

Dogma follows the trek of three individuals Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) and their goal of preventing two rogue angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) from reentering heaven on a technicality. Along the way they are helped by the thirteenth apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock), Metatron (Alan Rickman) and the muse, Serendipity (Salma Hayek). The rogue angels are assisted by the evil Azrael (Jason Lee) and his hockey stick wielding henchmen.

Metatron visits Bethany and he lets her know that she must prevent two angels that have been exiled in Wisconsin from entering a church in New Jersey. If the angels are allowed to enter the doors of the sacred cathedral, the world will end. Of course, to succeed at any job like this, you have to have some help. Well, Jay and Silent Bob come to the rescue. They save Bethany from some unruly teenagers and their trip begins. They soon meet up with Rufus and Bethany who help them out on their quest.

During this period of time, Loki and Bartleby are embarking on their own trip to New Jersey. Along the way, they stop at the headquarters of the Mooby Corporation. It’s eerily similar to a conglomerate between McDonald’s and Walt Disney. I’m sure that it’s no coincidence from the always-satirical Kevin Smith. They dispense their own justice upon the heathens that work for the corporation.

Eventually, both sets of travelers meet up on a cross-country train trip. Quickly, Bartleby takes to Bethany and vice versa. Neither one knows who the other is. Loki, Jay and Silent Bob also share some laughs together. Soon, Rufus realizes something is amiss and intercedes. At this point, Silent Bob has the line of the movie. I won’t spoil it, but Indiana Jones fans will love it.

Once everyone gets to New Jersey, all hell breaks lose. The angels get violent and the crusaders have difficulty fighting them. Finally, Bethany has an epiphany and saves the day after an epic battle. God (Alanis Morissette) makes an appearance to show her pleasure for a job well done.

Kevin Smith attracts a high quality cast for this film. Linda Fiorentinio was fresh off her stunning performance in the Last Seduction and she doesn’t disappoint here. She plays Bethany both strong and vulnerable. She’s the glue that holds the film together. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are also quite good as the rogue angels. They seem to both be born to speak Kevin Smith’s wonderful dialogue.

The supporting players in the film are also quite good. Chris Rock plays Rufus as an angry black man that only he can do. He’s intelligent, sincere and all knowing. He’s very believable in the role of the thirteenth and unknown apostle. Alan Rickman is also great in his supporting role. He speaks for God and is instrumental in saving the world. The evil Azrael is played by Jason Lee and it’s a perfect role for him. Most of his roles always have an underlying evil and pain and he uses those emotions well.

There are a few roles that don’t work out too well. Salma Hayek is adequate as the muse, Serendipity. Here scenes are limited and she just seems to be getting by on the material provided. Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are not actors and it’s really obvious. Their roles in the previous Smith films have always been no more than cameos with a few lines of dialogue. Unfortunately in Dogma, they are in the film quite a bit and must actually act. Neither one of them gets the job done.

The real star of any Kevin Smith film is the dialogue and Dogma is no exception. Of course, his dialogue can be crude, disgusting and downright vulgar. If anything along those lines offends you, then you want to stay far away from this film. If you can handle the profanity, then by all means check out Dogma. Keep in mind this film is religiously based so many times the sexual or vulgar dialogue will have a religious tone or theme. This can be doubly offensive to many people so approach with caution. I think if you give the film a chance, you will find that it is a “pro religious” film. Many of the original protests came from people who didn’t even see the film. Smith is a practicing Catholic so he has done his research and much of the religious information is accurate and historic.

Overall, the film is extremely entertaining. The dialogue can bog down sometimes, but other times it’s pure magic. The film works as a history lesson of the Catholic Church and that can’t be all bad. Any time you can learn something while watching a film, that’s a plus in my book. The acting is great and all of the actors are likable. The only issue is the harshness and the frankness of the language used in the film. It’s definitely not a film for those who can’t handle several curse words. If you can handle the language you will see a humorous and poignant film.