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Dogma
1999
Imaginative theology and a bigger-than-usual budget make Kevin Smith's (CHASING AMY, CLERKS) fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. It concerns banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) who, after a few millennia in Wisconsin, discover a .. Read more
| Starring | Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek |
|---|---|
| Director | Kevin Smith |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Dogma
Imaginative theology and a bigger-than-usual budget make Kevin Smith's (CHASING AMY, CLERKS) fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. It concerns banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) who, after a few millennia in Wisconsin, discover a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would allow them back into heaven--but prove the fallibility of God and destroy the universe. As they make their way to New Jersey to receive a plenary indulgence, God dispatches a seraphim (Alan Rickman) to recruit lapsed-Catholic Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the angels. She finds help in muses, prophets (Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith respectively), and the forgotten 13th apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock). Before long, all hell breaks loose--literally--and God (Alanis Morrisette) has to put in an appearance of her own. Smith's controversial (and very funny) film is powered by his trademark dialogue, ripe with observations on pop culture, religion, and bodily functions.
| Starring | Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Jeff Anderson, George Carlin, Bud Cort, Janeane Garofalo, Brian O'Halloran, Alanis Morissette, Guinevere Turner, Guineve, Janeane |
|---|---|
| Director | Kevin Smith |
| Studio | FILM 4 |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 3 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 21 Oct 2002 Production year: 1999 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Writer/director Kevin Smith — who made the wonderful Clerks and Chasing Amy and the slightly less wonderful Mallrats — here tackles the subject of religion with a wickedly humorous touch that unsurprisingly offended some Catholic groups when the film was released in the US. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck star as two fallen angels who discover there is a loophole that will allow them back into heaven, obliterating the Earth in the process. Non-believer Linda Fiorentino is called upon to stop them, with the help of two guardians (recurring characters Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith himself). While the film does not work on every level, Smith has once again delivered a unique script and there are some terrifically funny performances from a cast that includes Salma Hayek and Alanis Morissette. One of the most original films of recent years, Dogma is not to be missed.
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A bizarre comedy that is on the side of the angels (the heavenly host, that is). In part an attack on the dumbing down of religious faith, it is also a hodge-podge of cinematic genres and styles, taking in road and chase movies, surreal and comic encount
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Most helpful member's review
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28 out of 33 people found this review helpful
Too much swearing, violence and weirdness
Its quirky, indulgent and violent in places. Oh and I just hate the continual use of the F-word. Not all of the jokes work and the ending just sinks into meaningless surrealism. If you are strongly regligious the film is very offensive. Not recommended.
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Puerile stuff for US teenagers
The people who made this need to watch Life of Brian if they really want to learn how to make a good film about religion.
Dogma, as much as I could stand of it, was designed for immature 14 year olds who have just mastered swearing and how to laugh at beating up tramps.
I watched it Film4 (the first 10 minutes), went for a cup of tea, watched another 5 minutes, and gave up. I watched the last 5 minutes, which seemed to at least have a slimy ending in keeping with the other bits I saw. The US is capable of good comedy, but they are also experts at making extreme crap, and boy, don't they produce a lot of the latter. -
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