'Dogma' a thoughtful romp

By RICHARD JOHN
JAM! Showbiz

There's something to be said for Kevin Smith. Whatever the fundamentalists will have you believe, this guy knows his religion. And if 'Dogma' is anything to go by, the guy is also pretty devout in his beliefs.

The film, a hero's quest dressed up in the usual Smith style, follows the exploits of Bethany Sloan (played by Linda Fiorentino), a Catholic who just happens to work in an Illinois abortion clinic.

She also happens to be the Last Scion - a.k.a. Christ's last living descendent. She's been given the task of stopping two rogue angels from entering a church ... in Red Bank, New Jersey.

That, in a nutshell, is the gist of "Dogma".

With Kevin Smith behind the script, however, that's only the beginning of the actual story. Pulling from his increasingly impressive pool of actors, Smith is not only able to weave a completely believable story (try to find a plot hole, go on!), he's also able to cast it to the hilt.

Aside from Oscar-winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as rogue angels Loki and Bartleby, Salma Hayek (as Serendipity the Muse), Fiorentino and Alan Rickman (as Metatron aka The Voice Of God) are also given meaty starring roles. George Carlin also makes a token appearance as Cardinal Glick, leader of a pro-religion group called 'Catholicism Wow!'

The role given to the Greek chorus of Jay and Silent Bob, so sporadic in Smith's previous three films - "Clerks", "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" - is expanded to almost starring proportions this time out.

A motley crew of characters joins Fiorentino's character on her journey to Red Bank. As well as Jay and Silent Bob, Rufus the 13th Apostle (Chris Rock) and Serendipity come along for the ride.

With her task set, it soon becomes apparent why these angels can't enter the church. It seems that under Catholic law once anyone enters the church, all sins are forgiven - including the ones that got Loki and Bartleby kicked out of heaven in the first place.

In certain circles, this is called the plenary indulgence loophole. If Loki and Bartleby were allowed to pass into the church, it would prove God's (Alanis Morissette!) fallibility, thus bringing existence to a screeching halt.

Of course, Serendipity's response to this - "I always knew that thing was a bad idea. Leave it to the Catholics to destroy existence" - could be part of the reason why the church is so up in arms about the film.

Smith's previous comedies were rife with clever dialogue but rather shallow plots. This time out, he's created a near drama, toned down the over-analytical dialogue and made what amounts to a half-decent reaffirmation of religious belief.

In high school religion class, we are taught that the Bible is a story and Jesus was human. Smith plays on these teachings in "Dogma".

Rufus, for instance, explains how it was possible for Jesus to have brothers and sisters - and thus have a last living descendent:

"Mary gave birth to Christ without having known a man's touch - that's true. But she did have a husband. And do you really think he'd have stayed married to her all those years if he wasn't getting [any]? The nature of God and the Virgin Birth - those are leaps of faith. But believing a wife never [had relations with] her husband - that's just gullibility."

Rufus also explains that Jesus was black, a possibility given the region of the world the Holy Land is in.

The biggest crime "Dogma" commits is humanizing Jesus and his family. On closer examination of the Bible, you get a good idea how much of a burden it would have been for a 12-year-old child to be told he was the son of God. This event is somewhat mirrored when Bethany is told by Metatron that she's the Last Scion and that Creation's fate is up to her.

While Smith has given serious dramatic undertones to 'Dogma', there are still tonnes of pop-culture references thrown in. Smith's continuing fixation with hockey is also accounted for, taking on a menacing undertone.

For fan's of Smith's previous three films, keep your eyes and ears open - some of the set pieces and dialogue hearken back to earlier events and characters.

"Dogma" is nowhere near as bad as the nay-sayers would have you believe. If anything, it'll open your eyes and make you think, while simultaneously entertaining the hell out of you.