Dogma (1999)
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67% of critics liked it
(127 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(336,276 ratings)
Would you believe that the last living descendent of Jesus Christ is a woman working at an abortion clinic in Illinois? And that she's been sent on a holy mission with two minor characters from Clerks and Mallrats as her guides? Prepare to suspend any and all disbelief as you watch the religious… More Would you believe that the last living descendent of Jesus Christ is a woman working at an abortion clinic in Illinois? And that she's been sent on a holy mission with two minor characters from Clerks and Mallrats as her guides? Prepare to suspend any and all disbelief as you watch the religious satire Dogma, the fourth film from writer/director Kevin Smith. Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) has been disappointed in life and has found her faith severely tested after her husband leaves her when she discovers she cannot have children. So Bethany is all the more puzzled when she's approached by Metatron (Alan Rickman), a grumpy angel. Metatron wants her to help him stop Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise, have escaped from exile and are heading to New Jersey. If they are able to pass through the arc of a certain church, it will prove God is fallible and the world will come to a swift end. Bethany has no idea what to do or why she's been given this project, but she heads out anyway, with her assigned assistants Jay (Jason Mewes), an appallingly rude former dope dealer and self-styled ladies man, and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Along the way, Bethany picks up more helpers, including a celestial muse named Serendipity (Salma Hayek) and Rufus (Chris Rock), who claims to have been the 13th apostle and that Jesus owes him 12 dollars. Boasting a huge supporting cast -- including George Carlin, Jason Lee, Janeane Garofalo, Bud Cort, and Alanis Morissette (as God) -- Dogma proved to be highly controversial even before its release. Miramax Pictures, owned by Disney, financed the film, but several weeks before Dogma's world premier at the Cannes Film Festival, they announced they would not release the picture and intended to sell it to another distributor (which would turn out to be Lions Gate Films). Director Smith, however, has always contended that Dogma is a film about the importance of faith, if not organized religion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Kevin Smith
- Written By
- Kevin Smith
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 12, 1999 Wide
- Studio
- Lions Gate
Critic Reviews
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
A very vulgar pro-faith comedy rather than a sacrilegious goof, Dogma is an extraordinarily uneven film that significant cutting might be able to transform into a playable one.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
I couldn't care less whether Smith's metaphysical conceits about the war between Good and Evil are those of a devout believer or an atheist. The bottom line is that they're puerile.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Dogma is more strained than funny.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Too talky, too fond of in-jokes, too caught up (especially during the dismally weak climax) in its crass comic-strip ethos, and not, finally, as funny, subversive or thought-provoking as it would like to be.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
A fresh premise gradually turns stale, and jokes that start out lively end up pooped.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Ben Affleck
as Bartleby
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George Carlin
as Cardinal Glick
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Matt Damon
as Loki
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Linda Fiorentino
as Bethany
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Salma Hayek
as Serendipity
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Jason Lee
as Azrael
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Jason Mewes
as Jay
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Alan Rickman
as Metatron
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Chris Rock
as Rufus
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Bud Cort
as John Doe Jersey
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Alanis Morissette
as Woman-God
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Kevin Smith
as Silent Bob
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Jeff Anderson
as Gun Salesman
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Brian O'Halloran
as Grant Hicks
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Janeane Garofalo
as Clinic Girl
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Betty Aberlin
as Nun
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Dan Etheridge
as Priest At St. Stephens
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Guinevere Turner
as Bus Station Attnedant
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Barrett Hackney
as Stygian Triplet
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Jared Pfennigwerth
as Stygian Triplet
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Kitao Sakurai
as Stygian Triplet




