Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” (1999) was the fourth film from the breakthrough New Jersey indie filmmaker and easily his most controversial.
In fact, “Dogma” was, with little competition, the most controversial film of its year. The news building up to its release was impossible to miss.
Its original distributor, Miramax dropped it (they already encountered more controversy than they could handle with “Priest”) and people were picketing and protesting, long before anyone had even seen it.
Add the star-studded cast, months of building curiosity, surprisingly good word of mouth from a Cannes Film Festival screening and a trailer that showcased how different it was from every other ’99 release. Once audiences finally got a look at it, the biggest shock it offered was that, for all the off-color humor, Smith’s film was a love letter to his Catholic faith.
Smith’s plot gives us a lot to ingest, even in the early going: Two fallen angels, Loki and Bartleby (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) figure out a way to counter their tortured existence, after residing in Wisconsin as a form of purgatory. Their plans coincide with a New Jersey Cardinal (George Carlin) announcing a radical new look for the son of God to the public (if this bit offends you, you might want to abandon ship early).
There’s also Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), who works in an abortion clinic and finds her unsatisfied life suddenly full of possibilities after she encounters Metatron (Alan Rickman), who acts as the voice of God. There’s also Jay and Silent Bob (played as always by Jason Mewes and Smith), the bumbling stoners who are now prophets.
Add Rufus, the 13th apostle (Chris Rock) and a monster that originates from a strip club toilet.
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“Dogma” is overloaded with ideas and subplots. Imagine “Wings of Desire” (1987) crossed with “South Park.” Watching it is like eavesdropping on a group of rowdy theology students having a passionate and extremely crude conversation about theological possibilities.
Smith’s film is sometimes silly, sometimes heartfelt and also quite wonderful. “Dogma,” at its core, is sincere and touching, with enough huge laughs to balance out the bits that either should have been shortened or better developed.
For a low-budget indie, there’s a lot of movie here.
Smith’s justifiably praised but extremely crude “Clerks” (1994) was the obvious breakthrough, while the unloved sophomore slump turned cult film “Mallrats” (1995) was the growth spurt into commercial filmmaking. His third, possibly best film, “Chasing Amy” (1997), demonstrated that he could make a gripping love story consisting of characters who were an emotional mess.
As crass and juvenile as “Dogma” often is, it is also daring, ambitious and even passionate in its many discussions of religion. Those conversations (this is a dialog-driven film) are always a pleasure to listen to.
In the buildup to the release, the protesters repeatedly accused the film of blasphemy. The controversy around the film was immediately determined to be hypocritical: whereas little to no complaining was made towards the openly anti-Catholic “Stigma” and “End of Days,” both late 1999 horror films about Catholic conspiracies and evil cabals within the church, “Dogma” was made an example of immediately.
In fact, since it was originally being distributed by Miramax, the movie everyone compared it to at first was the aforementioned “Priest” (1995), which garnered controversy but generated little interest, as the box office and critics’ reactions were dismissive.
The rowdy audience I saw “Dogma” with at a preview screening, roughly a week before the wide release, was full of Smith fans and the curious who were not swayed by the reports of mass protests and condemnation.
“Dogma” is as similarly thoughtful and infantile as “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979) and it would make an interesting double feature with Smith’s “Red State” (2011).
The latter also celebrates faith and religious beliefs but is critical of hypocrisy and those who weaponize the trust of believers.
Smith overloads his story with so many incidents and supporting characters, I always forget that Bud Cort is even in this (after a striking introduction, the actor is absent for most of the film).
“Dogma” goes with a “Wizard of Oz”-structure of the story building on each new character acquired. All of the scenes with Affleck and Damon are funny and sharply written; their performances get richer as the story progresses.
Jay and Silent Bob remain Smith’s secret weapons, though Rickman and Rock steal all of their scenes.
I’ve never been a fan of Fiorentino’s morose, functional performance here, but she has an admittedly compelling scene she shares with Affleck on a train that unquestionably elevates the movie. The ending is as ambitious as it is emotionally satisfying, and Smith earns the film’s darker moments.
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Howard Shore’s great score does the heavy lifting during the fight scenes and Alanis Morrissette’s “Still” remains one of the best songs written for a film that didn’t get an Oscar nomination. The special effects are surprisingly good and, like the best of Smith’s films, it’s extremely quotable.
“Dogma” is overlong, needed to be condensed and not everything in it works. In fact, I’d argue that Smith’s subsequent “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001) is not only better but remains Smith’s funniest film.
Nevertheless, even though “Dogma” didn’t live up to all the prerelease infamy and, at the end of the day, is a raunchy but clever comedy, the best scenes demonstrate Smith as a gifted social commentator, satirist and artist.
Now that “Dogma” is back in theaters, after being out of print and not on streaming, it’s an opportunity to discover how well it holds up. I recommend seeing it with a group of friends and be prepared for some potent post-screening discussions…or a chance to pepper casual conversation with “snootchie boochies.”