Reviewer's Rating 2 out of 5 Μύ
Dogma (1999)
15

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play two angels cast down from Heaven who are eager to return. They finally see their chance, but unfortunately it will mean the end of existence. So the Almighty sends his messenger Metatron (Rickman) to instruct the last descendant of Christ (Fiorentino), to stop them. She is helped along the way by the forgotten 13th Apostle (Rock), a Muse (Hayek) and two foul-mouthed prophets, Smith regulars Jay and Silent Bob.

Sound goofy? Well it is. It's part road movie, part juvenile comic book and part diatribe about the Catholic Church. Smith is well known for his offbeat dissection of popular culture, only this time he does it with organised religion. Which unfortunately, is his undoing. There are some very amusing scenes, for instance a vitriolic tirade against teeny filmmaker John Hughes. But Smith, who previously wowed audiences with "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" and is a genuinely talented comedic writer, seems so keen to impress upon the audience his own views of religion, he sometimes sounds like a vicar himself, albeit one that tells dick and fart jokes.

All involved are fine, with Rock in particular tuning down his usual manic persona to portray a convincing and sympathetic sidekick. But come the special effects-strewn finale topped up with an appearance by Alanis Morissette as God, it's perfectly clear that his is not vintage Kevin Smith. That said, if this is his one "message" movie, let's hope he has got it off his chest.

End Credits

Director: Kevin Smith

Writer: Kevin Smith

Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, George Carlin, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Bud Cort, Alanis Morissette

Genre: Comedy

Length: 128 minutes

Cinema: 1999

DVD: 15 January 2001

VHS: 15 January 2001

Country: US

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