"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.
