Amazon.com: Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.
Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark Englehart
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Hilarious, but...
I think you'd have to have spent your high school years at a Catholic school like I did to truly appreciate it.
Rating: - Holy crap, batman
This is without any doubt, the worst film I ever had the misfortune to see. Truly, impressively, stunningly awful, pretentious, stupid... just bad.
Rating: - Brilliant Kevin Smith flick!
Great story line, written by Kevin Smith; two angels expelled from Heaven are seeking a way to get back, and they find it - in the Catholic Church, by way of plenary indulgence. It's up to the Last Scion ... Read More
Rating: - Scurilous satire. You've got to believe
I've seen this a number of times and find something new to laugh at almost every time I watch. It's superb satire -- but not for most folk who won't like playing around with religion and showing a female God ... Read More
Rating: - Hits the Nail on the HEAD!!!
I almost didn't watch this movie when it came on TV because of the scenario: 2 angels must be stopped before they destroy the world. I ain't Oprah and I ain't into no angels. But, I DID watch it and it was GREAT! ... Read More
- Hilarious, but...
- Holy crap, batman