A religious comedy made by someone who clearly has a lot to say about religion.
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The setup
Fallen angels Bartleby and Loki discover that passing through the doors of a newly rededicated church could forgive their sins and allow them back into Heaven. Unfortunately, proving God fallible would also destroy existence, leaving Bethany and a very strange collection of allies to stop them.
Dogma could easily have just been two hours of Kevin Smith trying to offend religious people. It isn't. Beneath the swearing, sex jokes, and extremely Kevin Smith dialogue is a film that asks genuine questions about faith, organised religion, and the difference between having beliefs and letting those beliefs become rigid rules. It is also ridiculously quotable. Alan Rickman as Metatron might be one of the best casting decisions in any Kevin Smith film. The dry delivery is perfect and he manages to make every scene he is in memorable.
We probably forgive some things because of nostalgia, and it isn't technically flawless, but what surprised us revisiting it was how well most of the ideas still hold up. The film manages to be irreverent without being completely cynical, and underneath all the chaos there is actually a surprisingly thoughtful message about faith and what it means to believe in something. It also has a fantastic cast, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon clearly having fun with their roles as Loki and Bartleby. Linda Fiorentino gives the film a strong centre as Bethany, while Jay and Silent Bob bring exactly the kind of ridiculousness you would expect from a Kevin Smith film.
It is definitely a product of its time in places, and some of the humour has aged better than other parts. Even so, there is something strangely comforting about coming back to a film that is this messy, loud and completely unapologetic. Dogma knows exactly what kind of film it is, and somehow manages to be both incredibly silly and genuinely thoughtful at the same time.
Positives
Alan Rickman is superb alongside an excellent ensemble cast. It has clever religious ideas underneath the comedy. I like to think it is endlessly quotable. Bold without simply being cynical.
Negatives
Some very late-90s humour with a few sections are rough around the edges. But the nostalgia definitely makes some flaws easier to forgive.
Verdict
Dogma is messy, loud, occasionally juvenile and far smarter than people sometimes give it credit for. It remains one of Kevin Smith's most ambitious films and one of his best.
