Dogma [DVD]

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This film was originally scheduled for a November 1998 release by Miramax Films, but due to controversy, [16] the film was postponed for a 1999 release, and the rights were passed on to Lions Gate Films for the United States, although Miramax Films retained foreign distribution rights. [17] I mean, honestly, not even a thought. I don’t think he realized that he still owned that movie,” the “Clerks” star explained. “I don’t think he realized that it went out of public distribution or anything like that.” Of course the faith itself does not depend on temporal rules, and "Dogma" knows it. Catholicism, like all religions, is founded on deeper mysteries than whether you will go to hell if you eat meat on Friday. I am reminded of the wonderful play "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You," in which a pre-Vatican II nun tries to cope with changes in church law; as I recall, her advice was to eat meat once on a Friday, to show you know the pope is right--and then never eat it again.

As hard as it is to hate a film like Dogma when clearly it’s exactly the film Smith wanted to make, it’s equally difficult to defend the film’s incomprehensible story. It feels like it has as much plot as 12 seasons of Supernatural condensed into one stoner comedy that’s still over two hours long. But give Smith a set of Danish rules to follow, forbid him from using guns and angels, and ask him to base an entire movie on conversations, and he might just make a masterpiece. Conclusion What's more, I think a Catholic God might plausibly enjoy a movie like "Dogma," or at least understand the human impulses that made it, as he made them. ("He's lonely--but he's funny," an angel says in the movie.) After all, it takes Catholic theology absolutely literally, and in such detail that non-Catholics may need to be issued Catechisms on their way into the theater (not everybody knows what a plenary indulgence is). Sure, it contains a lot of four-letter words, because it has characters who use them as punctuation. But, hey, they're vulgarities, not blasphemies. Venial, not mortal. Sure, it has a flawed prophet who never gives up trying to get into the heroine's pants, but even St. Augustine has been there, done that. On a train to New Jersey, a drunken Bethany reveals her mission to Bartleby, who tries to kill her; Bob throws the angels off the train. Bartleby and Loki now realize the consequences of their scheme; Loki wants no part of destroying all existence, but Bartleby remains angry at God for his expulsion, and for granting free will to humans while demanding servitude from angels, and resolves to proceed. Cline, Austin (May 30, 2018). "Top George Carlin Quotes on Religion". ThoughtCo . Retrieved March 5, 2019.

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Kevin Smith (2001). Dogma: Special Edition Deleted Scenes Introduction (DVD). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Oliver Jones (September 9, 1999). " 'Dogma' goes to Lions Gate". Variety . Retrieved November 21, 2020. As someone who values his parochial school education and still gets into interminable debates about church teachings, I enjoyed the "Dogma" approach, which takes church teaching jokingly and very seriously indeed--both at the same time. It reflects a mentality I'm familiar with. (For example, it's a sin to harbor an impure thought, but how many seconds counts as harboring?) I am also familiar with the types at William Donohue's small but loud Catholic League, which is protesting this film as blasphemous. Near the same time as the cancellation, just weeks before the Weinstein scandal broke to the public, Harvey Weinstein pitched to Smith about doing a sequel. Not much came from this pitch, but it was just a mere idea for Weinstein. According to Smith in an interview with Business Insider, he recalls: I was like, ‘That makes perfect sense,'” Smith recalled. “I’m guileless, I don’t see all the angles. He was calling not because he wanted to do anything with ‘Dogma.’ He wanted to see if I was one of the people who had spoken to the New York Times. I hadn’t, because I didn’t know any of that stuff.”

When asked about the sequel in October 2017, Smith said it would not happen, as he no longer desired to make any new religious films. [33] Kennedy, Michael (October 5, 2017). "Kevin Smith Says Dogma 2 Will Never Happen." ScreenRant.com. Retrieved 2018-04-24. Dogma is clearly a beloved film. Smith continues to hold appeal among cinephiles (and New Jerseyans), and despite getting larger budgets and bigger casts, he doesn’t seem to have changed his sensibilities much since 1999. But I wish he were given a smaller budget for something like Dogma. Clearly, he’s here for the dialogue, as the large-scale ambition of his storytelling pales in comparison to his only true loves: pop culture references and people talking about stuff. Annual SATELLITE™ Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009 . Retrieved November 1, 2022.

The oddest casting decision in Dogma is that of Smith himself, as he and Mewes reprise their roles as Silent Bob and Jay, respectively. They’re one-note joke characters. They constantly try to shag the lead, have very little bearing on the plot, and really don’t change much at all by the end of the picture.

Marcus Errico (April 8, 1999). "Miramax, Disney Dogged by "Dogma" ". E! Online . Retrieved November 21, 2020. Other unorthodox casting decisions included George Carlin, who had made his atheism [12] a cornerstone of his public image, as a Catholic priest; Mexican actress Salma Hayek as Serendipity — "the [Muse] who throughout history inspired all the geniuses of art and music, like Mozart and Michelangelo, and never got any of the credit" — and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette as God. "There's a Zen Buddhist serenity to Alanis that calls to mind something otherworldly," Smith explained. "She's definitely ethereal in nature, even when not speaking, and she carries an air about her that played into the role." [6] They talk about pop culture because the only power they’re afforded is that of the consumer. The joke of the film is that Jay and Silent Bob are two normal people whose entire lives will likely have zero impact on the universe. They have no power, no responsibility, no influence. But Smith puts them in a situation where suddenly they have to save all of humanity, and the punchline is that they don’t seem psyched about it in the least. Mewes gets one dramatic line in the whole film when he declares his (and Silent Bob’s) love for Bethany, and bless his heart, Mewes just can’t do it. The rest of the film doesn’t bother with stakes or emotion for these two. It’s just all sex jokes and Star Wars references — another Tuesday for Jay and Silent Bob. Dogma ’99 Jones, Kimberley (August 10, 2001). "Mr. Smith Goes to Austin". Austin Chronicle . Retrieved June 18, 2009.One week later, The New York Times published the investigative report alleging Weinstein raped and assaulted dozens of women. The story revolves around two fallen angels who plan to employ an alleged loophole in Catholic dogma to return to Heaven after being cast out by God, but as existence is founded on the principle that God is infallible, their success would prove God wrong, thus undoing all creation. The last scion and two prophets are sent by the seraph Metatron to stop them. Smith was the Next Big Thing in 1999, hot off a string of beloved indie hits. He was like if Jim Jarmusch was hip and wrote masturbation jokes. Just as Harvey Weinstein initially invested in Clerks to bolster his company’s image as a studio that supports indie filmmakers, it stands to reason that some of Dogma ‘s cast is there to similarly prove their indie bona fides. source: Lionsgate Films