Mario’s Musings (Anniversary Edition): Dogma
Bethany: "I don't want this, it's too big.”
Metatron: "That's what Jesus said. Yes, I had to tell him. And you can imagine how that hurt the Father - not to be able to tell the Son Himself because one word from His lips would destroy the boy's frail human form? So I was forced to deliver the news to a scared child who wanted nothing more than to play with other children. I had to tell this little boy that He was God's only Son, and that it meant a life of persecution and eventual crucifixion at the hands of the very people He came to enlighten and redeem. He begged me to take it back, as if I could. He begged me to make it all not true. And I'll let you in on something, Bethany, this is something I've never told anyone before... If I had the power, I would have."
Dogma turned 20 this year. I continue to feel old despite aging like a fine wine.
I’m not the religious type, at all. But man, I love me some religious movies, especially The Last Temptation of Christ and the movie the above monologue above is from: Dogma. Like Last Temptation of Christ before it, Dogma had its fair share of controversy considering the subject matter.
In this case, Dogma follows Bartleby and Loki, two fallen angels played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon who discover a loophole that would allow them back into Heaven. The only problem with this is doing this would invalidate the Word of God and negate all existence. To counter this, Metatron, the Voice of God, goes to an abortion clinic counselor named Bethany to ask her to stop them, with the help of two prophets, who turn out to be Jay & Silent Bob, the stoners from Clerks! Kevin Smith was making cinematic universes before it was cool.
Look how young Matt & Ben look!
Red Bull gives you wings!
There’s way too much to write about the plot of this movie, but know that this flick REALLY brings the A-list talent, especially in hindsight. It’s almost weird to think of someone like Kevin Smith getting to direct someone like Alan Rickman, but thanks to this collaboration, they became life-long friends till the day Rickman died. It also forced Jason Mewes to step up his game, to the point where he not only memorized his lines, but the entire script. And with that, it’s wild to see Rickman interacting with people like Chris Rock and Jason Mewes.
Apparently Hans Gruber went to heaven.
Outside of cameos in later films, this still remains one of Smith’s most star studded casts.
This movie brings the laughs, the references, and some good religious lore. I love it to the point where I must have watched it countless times in the summer of 2000. Matt Damon is especially hilarious as Loki, and some of his antics are just outrageous throughout the movie (“Who’s house? RUN’S HOUSE!”). Jay & Silent Bob bring their usual antics, and Chris Rock almost plays the straight man between Bethany and the two slackers. All in all, this movie is a great twist on an underused genre.