Dogma: A Religious Comedy Overanalyzed

Dogma: A Religious Comedy Overanalyzed

Using the words “religion” and “comedy” in the same sentence might as well be coined vulgarity, considering the controversial reactions that result because of it. Dogma is a comedy that takes on contemporary issues involving religion and asks its viewers, “What does it mean to have faith?”

When witnessing the film’s violence and obscenity, it comes as no surprise to hear that this movie caused so much debate and controversy. Orthodox Catholics expressed their anger concerning the joking manner the movie possessed about the religion. The Catholic League proclaimed it “sight unseen,” and blasphemous.

If you’re a Catholic and serious about your religion, de-sensitize yourself before seeing this movie, and get ready to be shocked. On second thought, be sure to take this precaution even if you’re not religious at all.

The variety of storylines and characters in Dogma keep us interested in the events that occur. The plot twists to portray in each character different views on the Catholic religion. Loki and Bartleby (played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) are two “fallen angels,” kicked out of heaven ages ago for disobeying God’s wishes. When they learn of a church in Jersey offering plenary indulgence (meaning, with a Papal sanction, all sin is forgiven when one passes through the church’s arches), as a part of its campaign to revamp Catholicism, they realize they have found the loophole in the Catholic dogma that will lead them back to heaven; take them “home.”

However, there is a problem concerning the angels’ plan. If they were to succeed, and defy God’s creed, He would be proven wrong and fallible. Since the existence of creation relies on the belief that God is never wrong, He being wrong would thus be the end of existence and everything. Nothingness would result.

Obviously this cannot happen. So the powers above must rely on a woman named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to save the world. She is visited by Metatron (Alan Rickman), one of the highest choirs of angels. The powers couldn’t have picked a less faithful person; Bethany questions her religion everyday. However, some revelations lead her to the determination she needs to help her in her mission save humanity.

Bethany is not expected to save the world on her own, of course. She is guided and aided by two off-beat prophets, Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and director Kevin Smith), as well as the thirteenth apostle, Rufus. As in all Kevin Smith’s films, the presence of Jay and Silent Bob makes this movie. While the movie as a whole is a comedy, I found that the only times I laughed out loud was at one of Jay’s vulgar and perverted comments or Silent Bob’s knowing gestures. Most of Affleck’s and Damon’s dialogue, although intended to be, was not comical and didn’t seem to further the plot much. Their conversations seemed to bring the narrative to a halt.

In Dogma, we follow the cast through mishaps (Bethany’s car breaks down), acts of violence (Loki kills an adulterant on a bus as well as a table of “sinners” at a company board meeting), and obscene remarks (everything out of Jay’s mouth) on the journey to either save the world (for some) or end it (for others). This religious comedy risks political incorrectness to make its point: organized religion is not the way God intended things to work, rather, spirituality of any kind is paramount.

Many critics have reviewed Dogma and thus the film has yielded different reactions. The responsibilities of movie reviews include informing the audience of the movie’s content, recommending (or not) the movie to the public, and critiquing the movie’s elements. After finishing a review, the reader should be able to judge whether or not the movie is worth seeing using the reviewer’s analysis as a guide. Roger Ebert’s review of Dogma is missing something: an evaluation of the movie! After reading Ebert’s review, movies will be the last thing on readers’ minds.

Ebert opens his review in a way that sets himself up for a long, complex discussion on his personal views about religion. Because the movie is about religion, controversy is expected, and of course a reviewer must address this issue. His first paragraph seems to be aimed toward those “lost souls,” or, those whom are just going through the motions of “good