You've probably heard the controversy over this movie. If you've seen it already, you may have even had picketers in front of your theater, like I did. Well, just as the South Park movie, by the very nature of its story and the very care with which it was crafted, is immune to the attacks of those who would seek to admonish it, so is Dogma immune to the wailing of those who find it blasphemous. Protesters have a point about it being anti-Catholic, I suppose, because Kevin uses Catholicism to sharply target and demolish organized religion of every stripe. But no one can touch Kevin's unquestionably reverential if questionably non-traditional portrayal of the denizens of Heaven. In Dogma, God, angels, demons, muses, and other spiritual entities really do exist. It just happens that they aren't exactly what the Catholics would have us think they are. Organized religion is marketing, and marketing rarely ever represents the product it's selling with accuracy. (The Catholicism WOW! poster shown here is from the movie.)

No, people with blind faith will never see anything in a movie like this. Even if Dogma were tamed, with less cursing and violence and more "pious" characters, the story alone would piss the bible thumpers off. What can you do? Kevin provides, for their benefit and our amusement, a funny preface... simply some on-screen text. I say let 'em go see The Omega Code and hardwire their TVs to the Trinity Broadcasting Network. We'll have our own fun over here, thank you very much.

Dogma is more like Clerks than Chasing Amy because it's unapologetically crass. It's also an amazing tapestry of a story, where Kevin uses the bible itself to create a sort of sequel, The Bible II: The Newer Testament. Don't be worried if you know little about biblical details. I know next to nothing, for instance, but Kevin kindly provides enough information, so I had no trouble following along. In fact, the biblical explication in Dogma is mostly accomplished through Kevin's trademark banter. Bantering about fallen angels and God's voice is not as humorous as bantering about racial symbolism in Star Wars, and that makes Dogma sometimes slow, but it certainly doesn't ruin anything, and the movie is funny. In fact, thanks to the myriad of provided details, you can appreciate the complexity and care with which Kevin has crafted this plot. His whole twist on angels being subservient to God while the people He created are given a choice is nothing but inspired, and it creates some beautiful tension. Kevin's choice to cast Alanis Morissette as the (or a) embodiment of God is wacky but smart. (Skip this if you don't want details, but because I find Alanis' singing particularly grating, I was satisfied that she is almost completely silent in the movie. As it's explained, God's voice is too powerful for humans, and they literally explode if they hear His/Her voice. When God/Alanis does speak, it is with a loud, indefinable noise. That, to me, is Alanis!)

The cast is very good. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are a good team, but they do overact a bit. It doesn't distract, though, and they pull through more often than not. Linda Fiorentino is dull but strong enough to support the weight her character requires. Alan Rickman is hilarious as Metatron, the Voice of God. Chris Rock is less grating than usual as Rufus, the 13th Apostle, but he just plays himself. George Carlin, Salma Hayek, and Jason Lee play their characters just enough over the top to be funny but not annoying. And, of course, there's nothing to say about Jason Mewes and Kevin himself as Jay and Silent Bob. They just need to be there. It's a Kevin Smith film!

Dogma is funny and smart and gross and lowbrow and definitely rewarding. It may meander a bit, but it always gets immediately back on track and provides some truly original themes and some dexterous storytelling. Keep your mind open and enjoy the movie. If you don't think you can do that, perhaps you should skip it. I think The Ten Commandments is out on DVD now.

--Steve

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