I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute with a Wonky Wednesday RETRO movie look at DOGMA from 1999, directed by Kevin Smith, starring all famous people from the 90s. A descendant of Jesus must save existence from two renegade angels trying to enter heaven through a Catholic loophole.

 

2.5 out of 5

 

This film is in the news again because Kevin Smith FINALLY got the rights back from Harvey Weinstein and it is now available online. So, this film is a mess, like student-film messy. Kevin Smith can’t shoot a film, he can’t edit, light a scene, or direct an actor. His humor is juvenile and profane. But he CAN write sometimes witty dialogue that connects to a certain Gen X audience. This film IS unique in that we never talk about religion this boldly. And in the dense expositional dialogue littered with stoner and dick jokes, there are some lovely points made about faith, identity, and Catholicism in particular. And then a literal shit demon bubbles up out of a toilet.

 

Best Scene. One of the early scenes with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in an airport discussing their plan to sneak back into heaven. Its bold and irreverent; and its exciting to hear religious philosophy discussed so freely. There is a giddy promise made of how the whole movie will be that the movie does not live up to due to bad plot, dumb jokes, and endless exposition.

 

Best Performance. I’ll go with Ben Affleck! He has to carry multiple long angry monologues plus a character heel turn. He is able to change his tone and find nuance in those angry screeds, and I appreciate that! I want to like Alan Rickman’s performance more, but he is so smarmy that it just turns me off. Linda Florentino is completely lost and Salma Hayek is just loud.

 

It was nice to revisit this; take another look if you want a still-controversial unique movie that is occasionally really funny and filled with stoned college dorm room musings on religion.

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I have issues with those who treat God

like a burden instead of a blessing...

...like some Catholics.

You people don't celebrate your faith,

you mourn it.

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- lf we're wrong, what religion is right?

- It's not about who's right or wrong.

No denomination's nailed it yet...

...because they're all

too self-righteous to realize...

...that it doesn't matter what you have

faith in, Just that you have faith.

Your hearts are in the right place,

but your brains gotta wake up.

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The big one, though,

is the factioning of all the religions.

He said mankind got it all wrong...

...by taking a good idea

and building a belief structure on it.

You're saying having beliefs

is a bad thing?

I just think it's better

to have ideas.

You can change an idea.

Changing a belief is trickier.

People die for it. People kill for it.

The whole of existence

is in jeopardy right now...

...because of the Catholic beliefs

regarding this plenary-indulgence shit.