Dogma (1999)

Fallen angels (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), a gnarly demon (Jason Lee) and a half-baked apostle (Chris Rock) walk among America's cynics and innocents and duke it out for humankind's fate in director Kevin Smith's 1999 comic meditation on religion. A modern-day battle against evil takes place in suburban New Jersey, after an abortion clinic worker (Linda Fiorentino) gets a higher calling from two clueless prophets (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith).

Way back before the new millennium was upon us, Kevin Smith was on a roll. He had directed three well received films that would go on to become cult classics. His fourth film, Dogma, would do the same, but not before it underwent a giant slew of controversy. The film is essentially a complete mockery of the Catholic Church. This film was a giant risk for all parties involved and in the end everyone benefited from it for the better. It is one of the rare moments in Hollywood where their money hungry mouths didn’t come first.

I’ll be the first to say I didn’t understand every little quib that Kevin Smith threw at us that poked fun at the religion, and there were even times when I didn’t even have a grasp of what they were talking about, but for most of the film I knew enough to smile at the humor being shown during those moments. Ntothing is ever laugh out loud funny, but that seems to be because it essentially isn’t a comedy; but a light drama with plenty of comedic ploys.  The actual story is highly entertaining to watch as you watch two Angels try to get back into Heaven. Their journey works because it equally divides its time between them and the group trying to stop them.

The film wouldn’t even be remotely successful if the characters didn’t all gel together. Chris Rock is slightly more appealing than normal as Rufus the forgotten thirteenth apostle, Alan Rickman as the dickless angel, Hayek as Serendipity, and the always enjoyable Jay and Silent Bob. They all have a flow and chemistry together that makes their adventure worthwhile and their little bickering’s to each other feel as important to the story as the journey itself. The true stars were Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as Bartleby and Loki, the two angels looking to find a loophole back into heaven. They easily lure you in with their fast paced but smooth conversations about whatever is on their mind. It happens in their actions too; they do what they want, and killing happens to be what they feel like doing. They are the stars in a fairly entertaining team up once again.

While the ending was good enough, part of me wonders if it was supposed to be funny or dramatic, and upon further viewings, I still don’t have an idea. Over the years it has developed a cult following that comes with just about every Kevin Smith flick; they tend to overrate the film to a degree, and even though it’s not Smiths best effort, it’s awfully close. You haven’t already taken the time to watch Dogma, do it.

Overall Score: 7.5/10