Copyright © 1999 by Michael Segers, All rights reserved
Brought to Peanut.org
First, the good news. The film Dogma opens with a droll bit of text stating that God has a sense of humor and that the platypus is an example of God's humor. That reminded me of the last film I saw in which a platypus was referred to, but more about that later.
The film Dogma does not live up to its little prologue. I knew there was some trouble at the very beginning when fallen angel Loki (Matt Damon) shatters a nun's faith with a couple of glib sentences. Then, we learn that God is a woman (Alanis Morissette), fallen angels (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) are cast into Wisconsin, and the last blood relative of Jesus (Linda Fiorentino) is an abortion clinic employee. The musical Jesus Christ Superstar and the little red book, Quotations from Chairman Jesus, offered new language for old some years ago. Titles like superstar and chairman speak to modern listeners and readers more effectively than words like king and lord. Perhaps it is time for Jesus Christ, CEO.
Begging to differ with many other critics, I just cannot believe that now is the time for this film, which does not offer much of anything. Or, rather, it offers too much, from long-winded (but occasionally touching) descriptions of being cut off from God, to glib assertions that the act of believing is more important than the content of the belief. Satire of organized religion is always pertinent, perhaps because the immediacy of religious experience cannot be neatly fitted into organizations, but this film gives us few moments of such satire. A cardinal (George Carlin) leads something called Catholicism Wow and practices his golf swing with a blessed golf club.
Most of the film bogs down in an absurd problem. The Roman Catholic Church decrees that whoever passes through the doorway of a certain New Jersey church will have his sins forgiven. Two angels who have been for all time cast out of Heaven (and sentenced to spend eternity in the Cheese State) see this as a way to get back home. The problem is, that would violate God's will, and if God's will is violated, then everything ceases to exist.
So, the last living blood relative of Jesus, the thirteenth apostle (Chris Rock) and a suitably motley crew of angels, demons, and prophets head for New Jersey to save the universe as we know it. I'll spare you the details, except to say that unlike Arlington Road --oh, well, I hate it when critics give away surprise endings. Let's just say that it involves a bloodbath in which the film seems to exult in grotesque violence and sheer brutality.
To be honest, I thought I would like this film. But, as I experienced its two hours (which seemed longer), I didn't know which film, which mood, which unruly plot thread to like. Frequently, the film exploits its actors' backgrounds. George Carlin as a cardinal--that's a good one. Damon and Affleck's characters are given lines about the ongoing rumors about just what good buddies they are. Alanis Morissette is known for a song "What If God Were One of Us?" So, she is cast as God; at least, she keeps her clothes on (in contrast to her video "Thank You, India"). There is a lot of such in-joking, including rather narcissistic references to the director's other films. Knee-jerk situations get set up and milked for all they are worth: the thirteenth apostle was left out of the Gospels because he was black. Jesus, who was black, was kept in, but his racial identity was omitted.
I had the unpleasant feeling that the whole thing was an exercise in manipulation. Perhaps this film's enemies, those who protested its release before it was released, turned out to be its best friends, because my brother and sister liberals felt a cause coming on. It seems to me, however, that if you believe literally in the Bible, you will be offended. If you don't believe, then what's the point?
For me, the best point of this movie was that its beginning reference to a platypus reminded me of Life Is Beautiful, the very moving movie which won the Oscar for Best Picture last year. In one of the most taunt moments I've ever seen on a film, the main character (Roberto Benigni, director/scriptwriter who was also the Academy's pick for Best Actor) waits to hear that a German doctor (Horst Buchholz) whom he had known is going to help him and his family escape from the concentration camp. Instead, he only hears an obsessed riddler babbling on about whether the answer to a riddle is duckling or platypus. The German says that the riddle keeps him from sleeping at night. Gee, that he is a doctor in a concentration camp does not seem to bother him at all.
OK, that is stretching things a bit: linking two movies by their references to the platypus. But, I didn't get to review Life Is Beautiful when it was in theatrical release. You can get it now on video either with subtitles or with English dubbing. It is also available on pay-per-view. It does not matter how you see it. Just do yourself a favor and see this haunting story of a father convincing his son that their experience in a concentration camp is a game set up so that the boy can win a tank.
So, what does the star of these shows, the platypus, look like? In the final paragraph I give you three links that you can click on to investigate three intriguing sites. For the platypus, I am going to give you the URL (Universal Resource Locator)—
www.parks.tas.gov.au/wildlife/mammals/platypus.html
This will take you to images and information about the magnificent monotreme, but it gives me a chance to review some of the basics of URLs. You can enter everything up to the first forward slash (/):
That will take you to the Australian (aus) government (gov) site for Tasmanian (tas) parks on the World Wide Web. As you add each of the remaining elements to the URL, you’ll move to more specific pages: wildlife, mammals, and platypus.
Back to Dogma. To check out a wide range of Christian Humor, visit the About.com site. For a Christian perspective on the movies, visit the Christian Critic or look into the Christian Spotlight. Whatever your beliefs or lack of them, keep your feet dry, your heart full of noble thoughts, and a special place in your VCR for the film Life Is Beautiful.
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