Movie Review - Dogma
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1999 / 128 Minutes / R
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz
“Dogma” is one of those rare comedies that actually has something to say. Many people bashed it for being blasphemous. Once again, those were criticisms levelled at a movie by people who will probably never even bother to see it for themselves. You have to see a movie before you can affectively criticize it. That is the catch. If you want blasphemy, rent “Life of Brian”. If you want a thoughtful, loving exploration of what it means to have faith, rent “Dogma”.
“Dogma” starts very well. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are two angels who have been kicked out of Heaven. Now, after many years of exile to Wisconsin, they have found the way out of their predicament. Unfortunately, it involves going to New Jersey. Oh, and destroying the world. There’s that. So the voice of God (a delightful Alan Rickman) instructs a woman working in an abortion clinic to stop them. She gets two prophets to aid her in her quest (Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes) and also a little help from the thirteenth apostle (a very black, very angry Chris Rock).
The story is very good for a while. Affleck and Damon are wonderful together. They make a great team, and they are great verbal sparring partners. Toward the end, when things start to get serious, the only reason that the movie does not begin to totally suck is because the two of them have invested so much in their characters. They are a remarkable team, and there should be a law that they cannot make a movie apart from each other. Together, they are good. Apart, well, things can go either way. Especially for Affleck.
Another bit of glue holding the movie together is a strong, unifying performance by Linda Fiorentino. She is quite good here, dealing with absurd situations the way any of us would: in total disbelief and confusion. But she does it well. Alan Rickman and Jason Lee (as a demon who loves air conditioning) are also wonderful to behold. They bring a spritely amount of joy to the proceedings and also help illustrate some great points about belief and faith and the whole ball of wax.
Unfortunately, Jay and Silent Bob are also in this movie. They are hilarious to begin with, but after time their prescence begins to grate. The fart jokes get a little old and by the end you wish they would stop altogether. The movie also gets a bit sermony at times, and the ending leaves a little something to be desired. But I can’t get too far down on the film. I loved it for quite a while when I was watching it, and on the whole it respected my intelligence and made some very interesting points. It also has a wonderful, ludicrous premise (by now you may have guessed that I am a sucker for an oddball comic premise).
And if it falls apart toward the end, well, as this movie says so eloquently, nobody is perfect.
