I can understand how this film would offend a lot of folks, Catholics in particular. I'm Catholic myself, and I think you almost need that perspective to be 'in' on some of the characters and humor in the story. Though I do find the excessive use of the 'F' word to be off-putting and tasteless, I think there was the germ of a good idea presented here with the suggestion that God can be appreciated better as a thoughtful and loving Deity than a harsh and demanding one. I mean, even George Burns thought so when he took on the role. That business about the plenary indulgence loophole was kind of a brilliant stroke, but I don't think God would allow himself to be taken in that easily by the kind of argument posited by the story's main premise. But hey, nice try on the part of writer and director Kevin Smith, who's role as Silent Bob can be appreciated for the fact that he actually does say something from time to time. If there's a major downside to the picture it would be that hideous excremental creature concocted for the lowest common denominator movie fans. That could have been left out and the picture wouldn't have suffered a bit. As for the choice of Alanis Morrisette as 'God', well, by that time in the story I think there was a point to be made about the whole concept of God and religion, and that the question of the Infinite is just a bit too much for any individual to contemplate and understand, so go with an interpretation you can be at peace with. After that, just say a prayer.

When two renegade angels threaten to bring about the end of the world, an agnostic abortion clinic worker is given a divine quest to stop them, something that helps her regain her faith in this energetic Kevin Smith comedy. The plot is a tad too complex with a lot of exposition (and therefore dialogue) required, which provides some pacing issues. The film has a lot of interesting things to say though, and curiously enough, it is not half as sacrilegious as one might expect. Smith actually delivers some positive messages about faith while taking quite a few shots at organised religion and the commercial value that some place on religion - an agenda especially apparent with an absurd new crucifix that the Catholics in the film release to try to attract new parishioners! The film is frequently funny too, though mostly when Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are on screen as the fallen angels. Damon's take on the Angel of Death is especially amusing given his boyish looks. There is a superb sequence in which he intrudes on a board meeting to wreak havoc in the name of divine justice, though his funniest bits come from the baffled reactions of all those around him - in particular, an old lady in a elevator and a gun salesman. Linda Fiorentino is less effective as the abortion clinic worker and fun as it is to have Jay and Silent Bob along for the ride, the 'good' characters here are significantly less enticing than the baddies. 'Dogma' is, however, generally a fun ride with a handful of interesting things to say. The anti-platypus 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' style opening credits are also a treat.

Is it wrong that I was raised secular and still found Dogma a surprisingly meaningful experience? I mean, regardless of whether Kevin Smith intended it to be so, the movie feels like pure wish fulfillment. One morning, a woman is awoken by Alan Rickman, who tells her she's some kind of Chosen One and must go on a quest. Okay, I'm sold!The dialogue is on the whole pretty funny. The message might be painfully obvious to anyone raised secular/liberal, but I think there's a bigger lesson to be learned that's not quite apparent. For instance, Bethany works in an abortion clinic and the plot doesn't punish her for it. She does get pregnant at the end, but she wanted a child before, and I can't see her job as resulting from frustration with her infertility. This movie demonstrates a tolerance for abortion that I haven't seen much in pop culture. Bethany is also in her 30s, usually an awkward age for a woman to be since you usually don't look virginal anymore and you might feel past your sell-by date. Hopefully characters like this might keep female audiences from being afraid of turning 30.Lots of movies with frequent strong language and sex talk sound immature because of it; in this one it's not at all gratuitous because of the sincere sentiment driving the story. After I first watched Dogma I was in the gladdest of moods--I even cried during the lake scene. Bethany is horrified to discover that she is the last descendant of Jesus. Metatron pulls her out of despair by telling her to be who she always saw herself as; not to feel limited because of the new label applied to her. She is "a redefinition of that identity." This exchange resonated on a deeply personal level with me, not because I'm a descendant of Jesus, but because I have high- functioning autism. For a long time I really wanted to be rid of this diagnosis--I am not Sheldon Cooper. But when I heard "redefinition of that identity," a cloud lifted. I can't articulate how much it means to hear those words come from my favorite actor. A million thanks, Kevin Smith.

The fourth film in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, this is an hilarious and thought-provoking film which cleverly explores the nature of faith. Due to the fact that it treats Catholicism in a very flippant fashion, it was somewhat controversial at the time of its release and was even denounced by the Catholic League as "blasphemy." However, it is best to take the film about as seriously as it takes its subject matter. It features numerous criticisms, both explicit and implicit, of Catholicism and organised religion in general and I have to say that I agreed with every one of them. Smith's writing is excellent and his direction is getting better and better with every film. He is much better able to handle the stunts and special effects than he was in "Mallrats" but wisely keeps the focus on the characters.I don't generally comment on such things in my reviews but, as far my own religious heritage goes, I was raised Catholic but I am now an agnostic. At one point, Bethany Sloane describes feeling inspired as a child when she attended Mass. I have to admit that I never felt that way. I did not question Catholic teaching when I was younger because I was too young to question it but, in retrospect, there was always a sense of going through the motions. The countless revelations of corruption and abuse in the Catholic Church, particularly in my native Ireland, did not exactly endear it to me either. Other than my sister's wedding, I can't remember the last time that I even entered a church.The plot concerns the fallen angels Loki and Bartleby, played very well by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who were expelled from Heaven after getting drunk and objecting to the tenth plague of Egypt. They discover a loophole in Catholic canon law in the form of a plenary indulgence in a soon to be rededicated New Jersey church which would allow them to reenter Heaven but doing so would prove that God is not infallible and consequently lead to the destruction of all Creation, which would be a shame. In order to prevent this from happening, Heaven calls upon the services of the last scion Bethany Sloane and the two prophets, namely - who else? - Jay and Silent Bob. Linda Fiorentinio is wonderful as Bethany. By far the most realistic character in the film, she is a bitter, cynical Catholic abortion clinic worker who is suffering a crisis of faith in large part because her husband left her because she cannot have children. She attends Mass every Sunday but she gets nothing out of it and is not even sure why she goes. However, she is thrown into the deep end when she is visited by the archangel Metratron, the Voice of God. Over the course of the film, she struggles to come to terms with the fact that she was uncertain about God's very existence one day and is on a mission from Him (or Her!) the next. The antics of the borderline sex pest Jay are not of much comfort to her.The fallen angels are very interesting characters. Loki is a fun lovin' former angel of death who enjoys messing with people by convincing them that God does not exist. He also gets a giddy thrill out of getting up to his old tricks and killing sinners. At first, Bartleby is the more staid and sensible of the two as he wants to keep a low profile and not risk God finding out about their plans to return upstairs. However, he experiences an epiphany when he realises that God has infinite patience for His favoured creations, namely humans, but He expelled them from Heaven after one mistake. Although Bartleby has learned that their plan will negate all existence, he still intends to go through with it, which astonishes and disgusts Loki. Affleck is no Laurence Olivier but is very good at playing Bartleby's anger and quest for vengeance.Jay and Silent Bob have larger roles than in any of the previous three films and, as the former, Jason Mewes has most of the funniest lines in the film. It is a shame that Mewes has never had a big career outside of Smith's films as he is incredibly funny. Silent Bob is less verbose than in "Chasing Amy" but manages to save Bethany's life numerous times throughout the film. Alan Rickman, a far better comedic actor than he is a dramatic actor, is likewise extremely funny as the frequently drunk Metatron, who is bitter that most Christians do not know that he exists since there has never been a film about him. I have never been a big fan of Chris Rock either but he is very good here as Rufus, the thirteenth apostle who was left out of the Bible because he is black. The same is true of Salma Hayek as the muse Serendipity, who works at a strip club and was responsible for inspiring 19 of the top 20 highest grossing films of all time. Sadly for Metatron, none of them were about him. Jason Lee is both very funny and suitably villainous as the horned demon Azrael. George Carlin does not have much screen time but he is absolutely hilarious as the unorthodox Cardinal Glick, who seeks to revamp the Catholic Church's image through his Catholicism Wow! campaign. Oh, and Alanis Morissette plays God. Isn't it ironic, don't ya think? Actually, like the contents of her dreadful song, it isn't. The film also features great small appearances from Bud Cort, Janeane Garofalo, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson (making his first appearance since "Clerks") and Dwight Ewell.Overall, this is an excellent film which does not take its subject matter too seriously but manages to say some very interesting things about religion, good and bad, along the way.