 Dogma (1999) Smith seems to think he's got something to say about religion and faith, because he lodges every idea he has into every piece of dialogue, regardless of specific character. Opposing or challenging viewpoints to his are presented in a loaded way, almost like Plato trying to write a screenplay … and a comedy at that. So, as with Mallrats, you emerge shell-shocked from the unbridled hostility … there is less shouting in a typical Wrestlemania. The film is stunt-cast from top to bottom, making it impossible to connect with any of the characters or the ideas they espouse. Look, there's George Carlin! Damon & Affleck! The guy from Clerks! Bud Cort! Alanis Morrissette … as God!!! Ha, isn't that cooool? Not really. Maybe if he were able to make a thoughtful point with it all, but Smith constantly distracts you from the gaps in logic and poorly executed attempts at wowing you with Big Ideas. Well, actually, it was nice to see Bud Cort, but that's about the only thing I enjoyed. This is the work of a man arrested at the philosophical and artistic age of, like, 19 … a maturation, I suppose, from his earlier films, which are more like 13. He reminds me of countless hacks in college writing classes who for some reason feel compelled to take on the world … so as to validate their own view of it. There's nothing shocking about Dogma, except perhaps the sheer number of big names who signed on to be in it, and the fact that such a complete piece of crap could attract so much "debate." There's no debate. If I want religious philosophy, I'll take Kierkegaard; if I want religious opinion, I'll consult C.S. Lewis; if I want religious cinema I'll watch The Last Temptation of Christ; if I want bad religious cinema, I'll watch The Apple; if I want religious comic books, I'll take in a Chick Publication or two; and if I just want to be in pain, I'll take hemmorhoids.
Review by Johnnie Bourgeois |