Dogma (2001, DVD)

My review title was one of the movie Dogma s taglines back in 1999 and an apt one that promises comedy, soul searching and some theological commentary. Kevin Smith, a practicing Catholic schooled by nuns, writes, co-directs, co-produces and co-stars as Silent Bob in a movie some radical, humorless Catholics have deemed offensive. Most people do not, although may find the running sarcasm of some Catholic beliefs to be tasteless.

In the beginning, not that Beginning, silly, but in this movie, we see a homeless man bushwhacked beside a beach by grim-faced hockey players. Suddenly we re introduced to two renegade angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck, a pimp with passion ) and Loki (Matt Damon, a lunatic with boyish charm) in a busy airport where Bartleby enjoys people-watching (better than watching cartoons as Loki does to pass the years in Wisconsin where they ve been banned to). He shows Loki an article he received through the mail of a liberal Catholic Church celebrating a new image or icon of Christ. At the Dedication Ceremony of the Buddy Jesus under Cardinal Glick (George Carlin loving the role), Catholics will be able to have their sins cleansed and forgiven by simply passing the statue or archway.

Bartleby convinces Loki that this church is their ticket back home, to heaven, even though they are not the intended beneficiary of these plenary indulgences. They will trick heaven by going in the back door.

This unexpected turn of events causes Metatron, Alan Rickman as an arrogant, high-order angel and the Voice of God, to blaze up Bethany Sloane s bedroom as he appears before her with booming incantations and is soon doused with the fire extinguisher. Bethany, in a not-to-be-messed-with portrayal by Linda Fiorentino, finds out that heaven needs these banished angels to be stopped. Why, you ask? Because, according to Dogma, all existence of reality depends on the fact that God never makes mistakes, so if Bartleby and Loki sneak back into heaven and thereby prove that God did make a boo-boo, then everything will cease to exist.

She agrees to go to this New Jersey church if it ll help and her adventure begins with an attack by those same hockey players from hell and rescue by Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes seeking nukie and cool Kevin Smith) as the prophets. On their journey by ground, they meet the Apostle, Rufus, the thirteenth one left out of the Book because he s black, who is played over the top and as*-naked at first by Chris Rock.

Salma Hayek as Serendipity, a former Muse, comes into the picture when the prophets check out a strip club. She recognizes Azrael, the former artist who was thrown out of heaven into hell and Jason Lee smarmily inhabits, who now detains them all in the empty club. He has been seen earlier plotting against them with the aid of the rollerblading hockey players, the Golgothan, named for the hill where Christ was crucified. Of course, Bartleby and Loki have already made it to the church s Ceremony and wreaked havoc because Bartleby has snapped out of jealousy of humans and anger against God for trying to stop them (he discovered the identity and mission of Bethany on the train to New Jersey). She is Christ s brother s last descendant, the Last Scion.

The rest of the 122 minutes fly by as the unexpected and wondrous occur. Bethany has sunk her teeth into her role of heroine and realizes that God s spirit needs to be released from the homeless man on life support. We then are treated to a God in the form of Alanis Morissette who doesn t say a word, but her roar explodes humanized Bartleby s head off his neck. She then shows her compassion for Bethany for a satisfying ending.


Final Comments

I ve relished this movie twice and I m ready for another viewing tomorrow! The actors, you could tell, really put their hearts into their roles and had fun with the clever and original script by Kevin Smith, who has also written Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy. Sometimes the dialogue was too heavy as theology was ranted about or reflected on, but I mostly got a kick out of the idea that Jesus had brothers and sisters, was black and had a problem accepting his destiny. I m not sure about the one where God disappears to play skeetball, though.

You don t need to be Catholic or formerly Catholic to appreciate this, it seems to me. Jay and Silent Bob are here for comic relief or for taking care of the bad guys while Bethany, who finds her faith again, provides stability and structure. I think I would ve responded just like she did to the task set before her, probably even getting a bit drunk like she did on the train and kissing Jay that one time.

The last thing she said to Rufus was that her having faith was not based on beliefs, but because it was a good idea. This is the message that should be taken from the movie, that faith is a spiritual matter born in your heart and not found in a belief system or dogma. It shouldn't be hell getting into heaven.

So if you liked Affleck and Damon in Good Will Hunting, you should like their friendship here, too. There s some good visuals with Bartleby flying and landing, getting his wings shot off, some earlier scenes on a bus and the fight on the train, but there s also an unnecessary one with a sh!t demon and Jay going to town with f*cking questions to God.

It s suspenseful in the sense you never know if a body will fall out of the sky or how the vengeful angels will be stopped so life can go on. It s also one of the finer theological comedies to come along and shouldn t be missed if you enjoy laughing while being provoked to consider irreverent ideas. You may wonder why heaven doesn't have skeetball--just kidding!

Thanks for reading!