Dogma (1999)

3 out of 4

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Chris Rock, Jason Lees, Salma Hayek

Director: Kevin Smith

Time: 130 mins

Though I haven't seen a Kevin Smith film before, he is certainly one of the more revered writer/directors in Hollywood (or, more correctly, New Jersey). Films like Clerks, Chasing Amy, and, to a lesser extent, Mallrats, are Internet denizen cult favourites. It was, therefore, with pleasant anticipation that I went to see Dogma, his latest. It had already earned its share of controversy, what with the church and others claiming it to be offensive, derogatory, blasphemous - all the usual terms - for its satirical look at religion and Catholicism. In fact, while there are plenty of swear words mixed in with a little violence and crudity, the film is actually quite reverent, especially when a certain pop star makes her appearance at the end. If one can't take a little satire or a humorous poke in this day and age, then one needs to take a look at themselves. The whole film is quite relentlessly talky, but spliced with very funny moments that make it worthwhile.

The story begins in New Jersey, where a local church is revamping the Catholic image to be more upbeat and contemporary. Meanwhile, two fallen angels, Loki (Damon) and Bartleby (Affleck) find a loophole in Catholic dogma that would allow them to re-enter Heaven. To do this, they have to travel to that New Jersey church and kill a few people along the way. A messenger from God, Metatron, (Die Hard's Rickman) recruits Bethany (Fiorentino, from Men in Black), an abortion clinic worker, to go and stop them. With the help of recurring Smith characters Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself) as prophets, the 13th Apostle Rufus (Rock), and the beautiful Muse Serendipity (Hayek), they also set forth on a journey to New Jersey. Along the way they encounter various demons, including Azrael (Lees), mishaps, and even a few moments of doubt, intermingled with humorous riffs and discussions on life, religion, the colour of Jesus, and other musings. The antics of Jay and Silent Bob are especially funny, with their one-track minds and simple outlook on life.

Damon and Affleck, life-long friends, frequent co-stars and even occasional co-screenwriters, coast along in their roles as the fallen angels. Their effortless charisma and interplay between themselves (you can just tell that they're buddies) is entertaining to watch. Fiorentino is also excellent as the doubting Bethany, the "Last Scion", a distant relative of Christ. Rickman is adequate, Rock his usual loud-mouthed self, and Hayek is as alluring as always. And Jay and Silent Bob - well, they just about steal the show.

Satires can be notoriously hard to create. They can either offend, or just fall flat. Dogma doesn't do either. It is frequently funny, and offers insightful comments on many issues in modern society. Part of the fun is in seeing various bastions of the Christian world played with and even altered, such as the previously unmentioned (in the Bible) 13th Apostle, who's also a black man. Also, there is the delicious casting of relatively well-known actors (Damon, Affleck, Rickman, Hayek and Rock) in principal "religious" roles. In any event, if you're not easily offended, Dogma is worth the price of your movie ticket. I'm looking forward to viewing the rest of Smith's films, if for nothing else than to see Jay and Silent Bob again.

(c) Joe Wong