11/16/99
Dogma stars Ben Affleck as Bartleby, George Carlin as Cardinal Glick, Matt Damon as Loki, Linda Fiorentino as Bethany, Salma Hayek as Serendipity, Jason Lee as Azrael, Jason Mewes as Jay, Alan Rickman as Metatron, Chris Rock as Rufus, Bud Cort as John Doe Jersey, Alanis Morissette as God, Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, Janeane Garofalo as Clinic Girl.
Dogma is a film that attacks, jokes about, then preaches the dogma of the Roman Catholic church. Dogma starts with a disclaimer. This is a spineless way to start a movie about poking fun at religion. Dogma lacks the class and consistency of a film like The Life of Brian.
Dogma is about two angels, Bartleby and Loki, who want to get back into heaven and God's good graces. It seems Loki, the Angel of Death, was tired of killing and ended up as earthbound angels in Wisconsin. As they watch a news program about the re dedication of a church, they found a loophole that would allow them to re-enter heaven. Cardinal Glick announced a change in the churches Dogma concerning cleansing of sin. At the re dedication one only has to pass through the arches of the doorway and all is forgiven.
The key for the two angels is to travel through the arches on the dedication day. Of course, as told to us by Metatron, this would unravel the fabric of the universe because God is infallible, By finding a loophole He would be proven fallible. As good guys drop from the sky, they are on a quest to stop the angeles.
This film has its hilarious moments. It has off screen and on screen violence. It has theological training for the viewer. But, it is not packaged well. It lacks the polish of a really good blasphemous story that would have Catholics picketing the theater.
I give it 2 out of 5 drivers: