Dogma - 1999

View Askew Productions

Written and Directed by Kevin Smith

Cast:

• Bethany – Linda Fiorentino
• Liz – Janeane Garofalo
• Loki – Matt Damon
• Bartleby – Ben Affleck
• Metatron – Alan Rickman
• Azrael – Jason Lee
• Rufus – Chris Rock
• Serendipity – Salma Hayek
• Jay – Jason Mewes
• Silent Bob – Kevin Smith
• God – Alanis Morrisette
• Cardinal Glick – George Carlin

Story: The Catholic church has come up with a new way to get people in the door: a massive new campaign called Catholicism WOW!, starring the new symbol of the church, the Buddy Christ. In order to kick off this campaign, they have come up with a special dispensation for all newcomers: you walk through the doors of the church and BINGO, all your sins are automatically forgiven! This is great news for Loki and Bartleby, two angels who have been kicked out of heaven and sentenced to Wisconsin, for if they can renounce their immortal status as angels and enter the church, they can die as men and return to heaven. If they do, they will have negated God's word, and they will unwittingly undo all of creation. To stop them from accomplishing their mission, Metatron, a special angel who acts as the voice of God, contacts Bethany, the last Scion, and charges her with a mission from God. She is aided on her mission by Jay and Silent Bob, and Rufus, the unnamed 13th apostle. Azrael, a demon from the hell, commands the Stygian Triplets, three demons who have already placed God in a coma. Will the demon succeed in helping the angels to enter the church and negate all of creation?

Review: Kevin Smith will be serving an eternity in hell for writing and directing this movie, and we will all be joining him for enjoying it. This young genius, the creator of Clerks, Mallrats, and the unnamed leader of counterculture has succeeded in making the perfect statement about the dogma of the Catholic church, and he has done it in a way sure to offend any devout Catholic. The rest of us, however, are free to laugh our asses off as we roll through all the irony, comedy, and sarcasm of the film. Linda Fiorentino is amazing as Bethany, and the woman deserves an Oscar in the category of “How in the world did you manage to keep a straight face in the midst of all that”. Having Jay and Silent Bob, the icons born of Kevin's previous films, as Bethany's protectors and prophets was nothing short of genuis (a word I tend to use a lot when I talk about Kevin Smith), and allows Kevin to reprise the role we all love so well. Salma Hayek plays Serendipity, the muse who fell to Earth, who can inspire everyone else except herself. Chris Rock, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Jason Lee, all veterans born of Kevin's films, perform with perfection, making this an exceptional piece of satire, parody, comedy, and art all rolled into one. Definitely rated R for language, nudity, violence and general poor taste (by the Catholics, that is), this is one of those films to watch when the kids are in bed. Collectible for everyone except devout Catholics, who will probably do time in purgatory for even mentioning its name, let alone watching it.