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Dogma (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:122
Fresh:82
Rotten:40
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Provocative and audacious, Dogma entertains without overtly offending.
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Imaginative theology and a bigger than usual budget make Kevin Smith's fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. The plot is set... Imaginative theology and a bigger than usual budget make Kevin Smith's fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. The plot is set in motion by two banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck). After a few millenia in Wisconsin, they've discovered a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would allow them back into heaven--but prove the fallibility of God and destroy the universe. Unaware of the peril, they make their way to New Jersey to receive a plenary indulgence. Meanwhile, God has dispatched 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. 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. [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, George Carlin
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, George Carlin, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Bud Cort, Alanis Morissette, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Janeane Garofalo, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Guinevere Turner
Director: Kevin Smith
Director: Kevin Smith
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Producer: Scott Mosier
Composer: Howard Shore
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Reviews for Dogma
If this is [Smith's] one 'message' movie, let's hope he has got it off his chest.
Like the worst seasons of Saturday Night Live, most of the film's setups go nowhere or just fall flat.
We were amazed that anyone, in the name of defending Catholicism or faith in general, would go through all the trouble of prosecuting a movie that hardly puts out enough substance to be funny, let alone offensive.
The fact that it has a great, intriguing premise only stimulates my dislike -- it promises great things, and never delivers the goods.
To take this film seriously is a big mistake, which is why I have no sympathy for protesters of this film.
The movie simply demonstrates the limitations of Smith's vision and humorous abilities, rather than any satirical prowess.
Dogma is not supposed to be taken seriously, which is as it should be.
The film runs about one-half hour too long and really outstays its welcome when it features pop diva Alanis Morissette as God.
Too talky, too fond of in-jokes, too caught up (especially during the dismally weak climax) in its crass comic-strip ethos, and not, finally, as funny, subversive or thought-provoking as it would like to be.
Kevin Smith needs to reign in some of the effects he uses simply for generating cheap laughs in favor of a more focused narrative.
Once the ball is put in play, the viewer must endure a flat second half, indulging torturously static explanations delivered by characters so garrulous they make those of Eric Rohmer seem as tight-lipped as Silent Bob.
The problems with Dogma are that it's uneven, overlong, and occasionally uninteresting.
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