Can you have a religious experience during a Kevin Smith movie? His last film, "Chasing Amy" in all respects was a guy trying to reform a lesbian film filled with penis jokes. His other films go even further into immature sexual discussion. It does work. Kevin Smith films will make you laugh if you can stomach them, but could he get serious?
"Dogma" is about two fallen angels trying to get back into heaven through a loophole that will destroy everything. A band of Apostles, angels and Jay and Silent Bob are trying to stop them. Alanis Morrisette plays God in this movie that was being protested as an abomination before it was released.
The film works really well and it has a lot of great points about religion and God without taking itself too seriously. Chris Rock is a black Apostle in one of his better film performances. The supposed to be next big thing, Linda Fiorentino was the lead with direct bloodline to Jesus even though she worked at an abortion clinic. This was a really great satire about religion and faith that gave way to new questions to ask after the movie ended.
It made me really think about the powers that be over the years who could have edited the Bible. It made me question some of the status quo beliefs that are thrown to us over the years. Maybe God really is a woman. Maybe God really is Alanis Morrissette. Maybe Jay and Silent Bob have a part to play in God’s plan.
Where has Kevin Smith gone after this film? He went back to Jay and Silent Bob. He did a “Clerks” sequel. He did a movie with Ben Affleck, “Jersey Girl”, which I never saw. He did a Judd Apatow impression with “Zack and Miri Make A Porno.” He’s really stayed in his comfort zone. It would be nice to see him write and others direct. It would be nice to see him take the kind of creative risk he did with “Dogma”. In the end, he does have to pay a mortgage and if it’s with Jay and Silent Bob, so be it.
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