A Review from the Dogma Diabetes Benefit Screening

(Ain't It Cool News)

FATHER GEEK here with another dose of DOGMA. I know you've been preached to alot about this motion picture, but this review is from Kevin's screening in his old stomping ground of Red Neck, opps, RED BANK and it should be of special interest to his fans...

The old "Trump Card" here was one of about 500 people who attended Kevin Smith's special screening of Dogma Monday night in his hometown of Red Bank, NJ. Having been a longtime fan of Smith's who's waited for this movie for nearly two years, it was an exciting experience to say the least.

I know you've had several others post reviews of the film, but i thought i'd drop you a line on this hometown show anyway. Bottom line was, the filled theater erupted with laughter consistently throughout the film. While this was certainly more of a pro-Kevin Smith crowd than other screenings would be, one must also keep in mind there was the potential for people to be disappointed. Most of those in attendance have been aware of this project for a loooong time and if it didn't measure up, you would certainly be able to tell by fan reaction.

Bottom line (for me anyway): Affleck and Damon were superb as renegade angels Bartleby and Loki; they played off each other nicely, and were able to handle the humorous and dramatic aspects without sinking into melodrama. Affleck, in fact, turns in the strongest performance in the film. Great supporting turns from Chris Rock and Salma Hayek, and Linda Fiorentino did a great job in a tough lead role.

The biggest laughs were (no surprise) reserved for Jason Mewes, and smith writes some of the funniest lines ever for the character. (Perhaps the funniest of all comes when Jay meets God -- priceless).

Overall, the film is definitely Smith's strongest. I know some people criticized Chasing Amy because it felt uneven to them as far as balancing the comedic and dramatic aspects of the film. While i didn't have a problem with that in Chasing Amy, Dogma is much more consistent in tone. Also, it must be noted for those Catholics who criticized the film without seeing it -- as Smith has said, this film is not even close to an indictment of Catholicism or organized religion. Rather, it pokes fun at those who believe in God for all the wrong reasons.

While i would think Smith will get Oscar consideration for his original screenplay, here's hoping the academy will recognize Affleck for his fine performance too.

TRUMP CARD

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