While Clerks dealt with our relationship with work and capitalism, and Chasing Amy dealt with our relationships with each other, Dogma opts for controversy and deals with our relationship with religion and faith, and in this case, God. You only have to read the reviews here to see with how much venom people hate this movie, because of their religious viewpoint (hate being an important word in religion). Look past the controversy, as i’m sure most movie goers will and Dogma, aside from being very funny, is quite life-affirming (A phrase i don’t like using because i don’t feel that i need a film or song to make me feel happy about my life), and will make you think twice about your faith, or lack of it. Watching Alanis Morisette as God, smiling, taking pleasure in doing a handstand against a tree was, for me, suspiciously moving.
But if you just want fart and sex jokes delivered in a fast, witty way then Kevin Smith is your director, and Dogma is your movie. There is a Demon made of sh*t, Salma Hayek stripping for dollars, decapitations, and the usual capering from Jay and Bob, along with some classic dialogue. Most of the cast have small roles, but they all do well, and Jay And Silent Bob get their largest roles yet. I’m not a fan of Affleck or Damon, but when they are with Smith, they do okay. Rickman and Lee are excellent as always, though Lee’s part in the film does seem criminally small.
The film follows fallen angels Affleck And Damon on a road trip to get back into Heaven, therby proving God’s infallibility and destroying all creation. Reluctantly trying to stop them is Linda Fiorentino, a descendant of Christ who has lost her Faith in God, and mankind. Along the way she meets various figures who try to help or hinder her, and all the while she questions her Faith. There are many witty and clever scenes here, in the middle of the usual lewd jokes from Smith, but perhaps that is the point. We shouldn’t get so annoyed by a few rude jokes, or ‘inappropriate’ words, when there are many more important things we could be concerning ourslves with. Sure, The Lord may not approve of the film’s swearing and images, but how many modern mainstream movies make (ooh the alliteration) a genuine point about faith?
The DVD has plenty of extras, the commenary and deleted scenes being the best of these.
The Spac Hole 
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