Jiminy Critic movie reviews

by Mike Dean 

With a bigger budget, a larger fan base, and a script that sets its sights on the heavens instead of on sex and relationships, Dogma represents as close to a break from his usual style that writer/director/actor Kevin Smith is willing to get. It is a film that finally delves deeply into Smith’s beloved comic book world, instead of flirting with it. However, marred by a surprisingly slow and non-provoking script, Dogma falls well short of its overly ambitious aim, potentially exposing the limits of Smith’s talent.

Dogma tells the story of two fallen angels, Loki (Matt Damon), and Bartelby (Ben Affleck), who plan to exploit a loophole in Catholic dogma in order to return home to heaven. It’s a good plan, but one that doesn’t sit well with God, who’s afraid of finally being proved fallible after all these years. So, she (yes, God is a woman, and according to Kevin Smith she’s Alanis Morissette) instructs her messenger Metatron (played with dry sincerity by Alan Rickman) to enlist the aid of Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a dysfunctional Catholic who just so happens to be a distant relative of Christ. And, when God gets kidnapped (how infallible is that?) by the evil muse Azrael (Jason Lee), it’s up to Bethany and her assorted band of religions renegades - the black 13th Apostle (Chris Rock), a muse/stripper (Salma Hayek), and, of course, Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith in their typical roles, only this time they’re a couple of undersexed prophets) - to stop them and save the world.

Kevin Smith has never fancied himself a brilliant director, and certainly Dogma doesn’t break any ground in this area (in interview Smith has said that for this film he “even tried moving the camera around a little.”). Rather, it is the realism and wit to be found in Smith’s characters that have made his films as good as they are. But in the “comic fantasia” that is Dogma’s world, the characters seem contrived and out of place, and suffer accordingly. It’s not that they’re any less interesting than other Kevin Smith charactes, but rather that they’re on a decidedly-different stage with decidedly-different subject matter, and have substantially less to say, a fact which is worn clearly on the faces of the actors playing the parts. Nowhere is this more evident than with Damon and Affleck, who as the main catalysts have been given the unenviable task of sloshing through this film at its thinnest and most uninteresting, engaged in a rethink of the Catholic faith that sounds as if it was ripped from a coked-up version of Dawson’s Creek. Fiorentino and Hayek stumble through their parts both with as little believability as possible, due mostly to the fact that they are given too little and too much to say, respectably. This is discouraging, because aside from Morissette (who has no lines whatsoever) and a useless cameo by Janeane Garofalo, these two actresses represent all the female star power the film has to offer. Even Chris Rock, who at times offers brief but hilarious interjection, seems to mail it in when the film hits its periodic lulls. And as for Jay and Silent Bob? Well, let’s just say they’ve become about as stale as the Catholic faith is in this movie.

It’s quite obvious that this film represents a chance for Smith to formulate a criticism of Catholicism and organized religion as a whole. What he also reveals is that he has an extensive and impressive base of knowledge in that area as well. In fact, this movie represents not a rejection of Catholicism but rather another perspective on it. Because of this, one wishes that the Catholic League had actually seen it before denouncing it as blasphemous. At least then they could have denounced it for not being that good, instead of drumming up business for it by protesting. Some people will never learn

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Plot synopsis: 

Bethany Sloane works at an abortion clinic, and though she continues to go to church, no longer has her Catholic faith. Then one night her life is disrupted by the appearance of the angel Metatron in her bedroom. He informs the rather startled woman that she's destined to set out on a mission to save all existence from destruction, by preventing two rogue angels, Loki and Bartleby, from entering a church in New Jersey. The two angels have discovered a back door to Heaven, and if they go through the church's doors, they return to Heaven, and this will bring about the end of everything God has created.

Bethany reluctantly sets out on her mission, and she hooks up with a number of unusual allies: the angelic muse-then stripper Serendipity, the 13tth apostle Rufus, who was left out of the bible because he was black, and a pair of slacker stoners, Silent Bob and Jay.

Along the way, Bethany must face truths about the world around her, her beliefs, and her own existence.

JANEANE'S CHARACTER
Janeane has a minor cameo here, as she often seems to these days. She's Liz, a friend and co-worker of Bethany at the abortion clinic. Considering all the outrageous and memorable things that follow in Dogma, her brief appearance could be forgettable for most viewers. But it's good to see her, and she has an amusing bit where she outwits pro-life protesters.

MY REVIEW

***1/2

Since I first heard about Dogma in late 97-early 98, I was intrigued. And when I later learned that the cast would include three of my favorite celebrity females, Janeane Garofalo, Alanis Morissette and Salma Hayek, I was excited. But the downside was that the movie wouldn't see theatrical release here in New Zealand until late April, 2000! So I was very thrilled to finally get a chance to see it.

Dogma is an unusual mixture of truly thought-provoking drama and (as Kevin Smith likes to say) "dick and fart" jokes. The big question was could these two elements not only co-exist, but make for a riveting movie. The answer is a big yes. Smith, who proved he could handle dramatics amongst the comedy with his superb Chasing Amy, jumps headlong into the issues of faith, beliefs and spirituality, drawing on his own Catholic upbringing to make points and raise questions. He doesn't have all the answers, but he has plenty of ideas. The movie received so much bad press from religious groups, claiming it was offensive and insulting. This simply is not true. Sure, Smith takes many potshots at the church, but it's not meanspirited. As a character in the movie says, God has a sense humor.

The cast is remarkable, and Linda Fiorentino stands above them all. The always wonderful actress brings so much depth and warmth to Bethany. We really feel for this woman, and what she has to go through. Her spiritual allies in the movie are Chris Rock (Rufus), Salma Hayek (Serendipity) and Alan Rickman (Metatron) all bring a lot to the roles. Rickman starts out as very aloof with Bethany, but soon becomes a source of comfort and wisdom. His performance is a real joy to watch, and frequently hilarious. Hayek brings her typical mega-sex appeal, but also back its up with a solid performance. She doesn't always deliver, but there are some terrific moments for her.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are engagingly cast as the two fallen angels Loki and Bartleby, and their winning rapport shines through, even when they're doing some less than likeable things. Affleck is especially effective, as Bartleby undergoes a change towards the end, and his character becomes rather frightening.

And of course, what's a Kevin Smith movie without Silent Bob and Jay? Smith and Jason Mewes are utterly hilarious as always, and actually grow more humane as they spend time with Bethany. The supporting cast is full of familiar faces, including a number of Smith veterans, most importantly Jason Lee as the white suit-clad demon Azrael. But the film's most charming moment comes in the form of God, played by pop diva Alanis Morissette. The singer is absolutely delightful as the loving, playful, yet silent Supreme Being. Her scene is unforgettable.

To be fair, this is technically crude movie and not without it's dead spots. What's more, it's highly uneven throughout. The changes in tone are quite jarring at times, and you feel that Smith is on the verge of losing control a couple of times (such as in pointless and disappointing shit demon sequence). Yet despite all this, the movie works because of the good will of everyone, especially Smith himself. The film is so jammed packed with fresh ideas and fascinating developments that it all manages to come together despite itself.

Rolling Stone review

It's a sin about "Dogma." You can't talk about the latest comic provocation from New Jersey's own Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy") without dragging in the baggage of controversy. "Dogma" has been lambasted as an assault on Christianity, sold off by the Disney-owned Miramax out of fear of attacks on the Mouse and labeled "polluted" by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. Smith, a practicing Catholic, says he's only pulling the church's pigtails to get her attention. William Donohue of the Catholic League resents having God played as a mute by a singer -- known for her nude videos and songs about oral sex -- (he's referring to Alanis Morissette). Now who's being the jagged little pill?