MOVIE REVIEWS Dogma (1999)

• Directed by Kevin Smith
• complete credits: see IMDb entry

• Review

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Funny, Inspired, Yet Somehow Lame

Rating: 9 of 10        

So this movie takes a satirical turn on Catholicism. So it does make fun of some elements, some very minor elements I'd have to add. So it does utilize propositions like that of a female God, a black Jesus and a thirteenth apostle. So it does. SO WHAT.

Funny thing about satires, they usually seem to be more rooted in the (supposed) dogma of the object of satire than the object would be rooted in the (supposed) dogma. Conflicts are most easily ridiculed in just discarding them, the search for answers abandoned for the sake of the search for a punchline. That's no ill will, it's the mechanics of satire. No offense intended in the obvious effects, rather in the subtext.

So it surprises - to say the least - that the mythology of this film is more than catholic. So it surprises how minutely an whole pantheon of angels and demons is being made use of. So it surprises that the very elements of what is superfluous in all verbal interpretations of the Bible appear in this film. This is not remotely a satire of catholicism, it is rather a satire of itself. All the aspects alluded to by this movie are nothing but minor, some are even utmost wrong. The color of Jesus is neither black nor white but unknown. The gender of God is neither male but female but unspecified (the masculine pronoun can also imply uncertainty) and utterly unimportant. The church condemned slavery once its scope was visible (cf. Las Casas), and it didn't stay passive during the Holocaust. Conventional "wisdom" is of no use here. The symbol of the Crucifix is no symbol of mourning but of rejoice and glory: As the death of Christ means salvation for mankind, as it furthermore implies his resurrection.

But apart from these missteps, the rest of the film is - as implied in the beginning - a huge disclaimer, otherwise strongly rooted in catholic belief. The usage of mythology is rather voluptous and exhausting, although it does always stop (short) of being ridiculous, thus surpassing the awful 'End of Days'.

The film is saved by its superb and even sublime mixture of horror and humor, of seriousness and laughs. What may fail as satire gains in entertainment and even spirituality. The acting is superb in every scene, Alan Rickman's performance even outdoing Fiorentino's, Affleck's and Damon's. A truly entertaining comedy and solid movie, its greatness however diminished by some easy thrills and distortions. Totally harmless and in its essence dogmatically catholic.

April 30th, 2000