| | | Faith is a funny thing.
Features: DVD, Special Edition, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, French, Spanish, Dubbed & Subtitled, English, Subtitled
In this hilarious comic fantasy from writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy), two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) find a loophole that would get them back into Heaven. The only snag? They'll be destroying existence in the process. In an effort to stop them, the overworked Voice of God (Alan Rickman) taps cynical mortal Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to save the world by preventing the angels from reaching their unholy destination: New Jersey! Throw in two unlikely prophets named Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), the quick-witted yet little-known thirteenth apostle (Chris Rock) and a sexy, former muse with a case of writer's block (Salma Hayek), and you've got an hysterical and thrilling race against time packed with an all-star cast that Entertainment Weekly called "one of the best movies of 1999!"
"...mercilessly funny...exhilirating, audacious and wildly irreverent!" Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Thumbs up!" Roger Ebert
"A scathing, scurrilous, sometimes silly but often searching comedy about the nature of faith in the 21st century." Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
"One of the most intelligent, engaging, and gut-bustingly funny revelations to come along in a while." Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
"Mature, thoughtful and occasionally dazzling." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...a fiercely ambitious script that never loses its raucous rhythm..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Imaginative theology and a bigger-than-usual budget make Kevin Smith's (CHASING AMY, CLERKS) fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. It concerns banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) who, after a few millennia in Wisconsin, discover a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would allow them back into heaven--but prove the fallibility of God and destroy the universe. As they make their way to New Jersey to receive a plenary indulgence, God dispatches a seraphim (Alan Rickman) to recruit lapsed-Catholic Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the angels. She finds help in muses, prophets (Jay and Silent Bob), and the forgotten 13th apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock). Before long, all hell breaks loose (literally), and God (Alanis Morrisette) has to put in an appearance of her own. Smith's controversial (and very funny) film is powered by his trademark dialogue, ripe with observations on pop culture, religion, and bodily functions.
Plot Summary
Irreverent enough to merit a disclaimer at the beginning, DOGMA is nevertheless pro-God and pro-tolerance. The story involves two fallen angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), who have found a loophole in Catholic dogma that will allow them back into heaven. However, this breach would result in the destruction of the world, so a ragtag group of prophets, scions, and apostles set out to stop them. The success of the film is in the juxtaposition of Smith's trademark acerbic attitude and witty dialogue against the enormous canvas of Christian iconography and apocalyptic conflict.
| Features | Cutting Edge Animated Menus | | Complete Set of Storyboards from 3 Major Scenes | | Weblink | | Exclusive Documentaries | | 100 Minutes of Deleted Scenes with View Askew Crew Introductions | | Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Spot | | Talent Files | | Theatrical Trailer | | Cast and Crew Commentary | | New Dogma Essay by Kevin Smith | | Second Technical Commentary with Director and Crew | | Bonus! Follow the Buddy Christ for More Hijinks With Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Jay Mewes and the View Askew Crew | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) English, French and Spanish 2-Channel (Dolby Surround) |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 9/22/2009 |
| Running Time: 128 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 05614 | | UPC: 00043396056145 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Nominee (2000) | | | Independent Spirit, Kevin Smith, Best Screenplay |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...A fiercely ambitious script that never loses its raucous rhythm....Affleck gives his strongest performance to date..." 12/09/1999 p.89-90Premiere
"...Funny, original....A high-wire act..." -- 3 out of 5 stars 06/01/2000 p.102 New York Times
"...Mercilessly funny....[The actors] bring great, understandable enthusiasm to Mr. Smith's smart talk and wild imaginings..." 11/12/1999 p.E20 Box Office
"...There are kernels of genius here..." 09/01/1999 p.144 USA Today
"...There is a keen intellect behind this devoutly defiant fable....Stuffed with cheery irreverence and inspired in equal parts by comic books, sports bar culture and the Bible..." 11/12/1999 p.13E ReelViews 7 of 10
Dogma contains a great deal more violence than Smith's other films (none of which really had any - unless you count the deleted ending of Clerks), and it results in a large body count. (What else would you expect from a movie about a potential Armageddon?) The gore is all over-the-top and unreal (much like that in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies), so it shouldn't shock or upset anyone... but you never know...Once again, Smith wears three hats. As a director, he can kindly be described as pedestrian, and he is unlikely to impress anyone with his versatility or aptitude. (During a pre-screening introduction at Toronto, he quipped that, for this film, he actually tried moving the camera around a little.) As an actor, his range is limited, but no one else could do Silent Bob as well. Smith's strength has always been his writing, so, on those occasions when Dogma founders in that area, it's distressing. The release delays and change in distributors (from Miramax to Lions Gate) have fueled anticipation for this film in some quarters, and those who approach Dogma with unreasonably high expectations may be disappointed. Ultimately, the movie is almost more noteworthy for the controversy it is causing outside of theaters than for its actual content. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
Kevin Smith's "Dogma" grows out of an irreverent modern Catholic sensibility, a byproduct of parochial schools, where the underlying faith is taken seriously but the visible church is fair game for kidding. For those reared in such traditions, it's no reach at all to imagine two fallen angels finding a loophole to get back into heaven. I can remember passionate debates during religion class about whether, if you missed your Easter duty, you could double back across the International Date Line and cover yourself...Kevin Smith has made a movie that reflects the spirit in which many Catholics regard their church. He has positioned his comedy on the balance line between theological rigidity and secular reality, which is where so many Catholics find themselves...Those whose approach to religion is spiritual will have little trouble with "Dogma," because they will understand the characters as imperfect, sincere, clumsy seekers trying to do the right thing. Those who see religion more as a team, a club, a hobby or a pressure group are going to be upset. This movie takes theological matters out of the hands of "spokesmen" and entrusts them to--well, the unwashed. And goes so far as to suggest that God loves them. And is a Canadian. - Roger Ebert
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