Dogma (1999) Review

 

Dogma (1999)

So, if you haven’t already gathered, I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith’s work and this movie is no exception. And while it took me a long time to find this movie on DVD, I finally found a copy.

Dogma centers around 2 main groups, the “good group” of Bethany, J&SB, and Rufus, and the “bad group” of fallen angels Loki and Bartleby and is a religious satire of sorts, but not in the self aware way that most satires are (while it still can be at times), more in a “Hey, I’m Catholic, so how funny would it be to make something that no one’s ever seen before, even if it pisses them off” kinda way.

In many ways, this was Smith’s first foray into making big budget films. With a huge cast of people we’ve come to know quite well in Hollywood, this film truly pushes the bounds not just for movies and artistic cinema, but for religion as well.  The movie is hilarious and for Smith, is incredibly ambitious given he made Clerks 5 years earlier.  He jumps headfirst into the fictionality of things, with evil angels, demons, and even God herself! It's definitely the most 'out-there' of everything he had done up that point but it still feels real world and I think that's what makes it work. It doesn't glamorize anything, just uses them realistically, definitely poking fun at Catholicism heavily throughout.

Nonetheless though, Kevin Smith does it again. With a weird blend of humor, satire, heart, and a driven story, no wonder this film has become so rare and revered by many. It, for the sake of the movie, totally flips religion on it’s head and makes you really think, while completely making fun of the Catholic church at the same time. The side characters in this are also amazing. Chris Rock, dickless Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, they all have goofy but crucial roles to the story that continuously move it forward and while you could see the direction this was going within ten minutes, you want to stick along for the ride. Jay and Silent Bob shine, like usual, and it’s always interesting to see how Smith can take these drug addict, comedy relief side characters, and bring them to the forefront as genuinely interesting leads.

Fun Fact: This was the film that when he heard Catholics were protesting outside the premiere to the film in New Jersey, Kevin Smith decided to attend and hold a sign saying “Dogma is Dog Shit”. There’s news coverage of it, it’s a must see.

P.S. “Why does God look like Alanis Morissette”

7.2/10