Seeing Dogma in a theater with Kevin Smith felt like a full-circle experience. My childhood introduction to both the film and its director was when my aunt gifted the movie to my dad, and I remember distinctly being told I was NOT allowed to watch it. Since then, Dogma has become one of my favorite comedies, and Kevin Smith has become one of my favorite directors. Clerks (1994) altered my perspective on creativity and inspired me to pursue filmmaking. I even wrote an essay about Kevin Smith’s filmography while I was in school. Even writing this now, I have a Funko Pop of him sitting next to my desk. Kevin Smith’s movies have a similar meaning to me that I believe they have for him. Spending time with my friends, I got to hang out with two friends I don’t get to see as often as I’d like to – one of whom had not seen Dogma until then, which was another thing that just elevated my experience. Jim and Dylan, who attended with me, are two people with whom I’ve bonded over Kevin’s other films and work.
Attending Dogma: The Resurrection Tour was quite an awesome experience. Smith’s fans are a devout crowd, there were lots of cosplayers and people with memorabilia from all his different films and eras. Sitting in a sold-out theater waiting for the film to be introduced by Kevin himself was like waiting for a concert to start. Hearing the familiar “HEY KIDS” that I’ve heard Kevin use to open every video, podcast, and show I’ve ever watched him in was enough to choke me up just a little. He introduced the film by discussing how Pittsburgh (where we saw the movie) was one of the few tour dates added to the tour after his own theater, which was meant to close the tour. He also said he decided to drive himself to the showing, which was the first time he’d made the drive from New Jersey to Pittsburgh since shooting Dogma there in 1998. After a few anecdotes and jokes about the movie, the lights dimmed, and he shouted to the theater, “Who’s Ready for the Second Coming?” which was followed by a roaring round of applause and cheers.
Now, the movie (which is the whole point of the review) holds up incredibly well while still feeling like an indicator of the time in which it was made. The satire is strong, and the jokes still work. For anyone who hasn’t seen the film before; two angels were banished to Earth by God and have now figured out a loophole on how to get back into heaven. A woman from Earth whose faith is shaky at best is tasked with stopping them to prevent them from destroying all of existence in the process. I’m not a Catholic, nor have I ever been (thank god, pun intended), which leads to some of the religious language specificty going over my head, but the film does a pretty good job explaining it to the audience.
The cast is one of the most impressive pieces of the movie, and they all have such great chemistry together. We all know that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have great chemistry (which could mean nothing), but these two roles exemplify just how well they work together early in their career. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) are also probably at their funniest in this movie. Some of the line deliveries from Jay are truly amazing works of comedy. Some of the most notable supporting roles are George Carlin as Cardinal Glick and Alanis Morissette as God. Both have comparatively small parts but are instrumental to the story. Another fun result of seeing Dogma in a packed theater is that every time a new character enters the film, there is cheering and clapping. Everything is met with this response – even something as simple as a title card reading Red Bank, New Jersey leads to loud cheers. There is so much I love about this movie, and I think it’s enhanced every time I sit down to watch it. The jokes get funnier, the script gets tighter, and the performances get better.
After the film wrapped up, Kevin returned for a Q&A session. I will note that this Q&A felt a lot like a stand-up routine. He did answer questions, but it felt like he was steering the conversation toward certain stories of making Dogma and some funny anecdotes about the cast, mostly just stories about George Carlin. There was a lot of great stuff in this portion, but I would be doing a disservice without mentioning a few of the moments that were a little frustrating. Some of the people asking questions could be quite long-winded, simply just requesting signatures or asking Kevin to take their resumes and hire them. But, if I had to guess, this is a pretty normal occurrence.
Most of the questions seemed well thought out and led to fun answers, and a lot revolved around his upcoming projects and rumors. Kevin addressed these very truthfully by discussing his process and where things are. He talked about his new Jay and Silent Bob movie titled Store Wars. How his long-awaited film Moose Jaws is making some positive forward progress. And his work in progress currently, a sequel to Dogma. He gave few details and no window of release, but until then, Dogma rereleases nationwide on June 5, and I highly recommend seeing it, whether it’s your 1st time or 100th time seeing it in a theater, it will always be better.
I got to wrap up my Dogma experience in a rather unique way. The next morning, Dylan and I put on our tour merchandise and went across town to see the church where Dogma shot its 3rd act. This truly was an awesome experience and meant a lot more to me than just seeing a movie I’ve seen before in a theater for the first time. Getting to be present with the film, its creator, the fans, and even some of the on-screen locations set this apart from any other experience I’ve ever had with a film, and I hope to be able to do something like this again.