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Dogma

(1999, Rated R, Comedy, Starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Controversial comedy is irreverent and bloody.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Strong female characters -- God is a "she," and so is the film's heroine. A woman with a crisis of faith learns to believe again and to accept a mission from God.
  • Violence:

    Heads explode, characters get their necks broken, stabbed, thrown to the ground from high altitude, beat up, and held at gun/knife-point. However, the most violent scenes seem over-the-top and cartoonish for "comedic" effect.
  • Sex:

    Jay keeps crudely propositioning Bethany with sex and explicitly discusses sex; an adulterous couple makes out on a bus; Bethany gives Jay a brief kiss; Muse is shown dancing in bra and panties at a strip club. An angel says sex (and how people look during it) is considered a joke in heaven.
  • Language:

    There's not a scene without an F-word or worse, if not more like three. Other frequently spoken obscenities include: "bitch," "s--t," "assh--e," "bulls--t," and many euphemisms for genitals and sex.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Bethany gets drunk; Stoners Jay and Silent Bob smoke marijuana in a few scenes; An angel drinks after turning into a human as do customers at a strip club. The cardinal smokes a cigarette.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Dogma

Parents need to know that although this is a Kevin Smith comedy, it's controversial for its religious theme and elements. Although the Catholic League condemned the film, Smith maintains its message regarding the Christian faith is actually positive. Like most of Smith's comedies, this movie contains explicit conversations about sex, marijuana use, and a lot of strong language (they love the "f" word especially and you'll notice that quite a bit of dialogue is dubbed over when this plays on Comedy Central). There are also several violent scenes involving two renegade angels and a few demons, but the blood is over-the-top and almost cartoonish in nature.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about whether Kevin Smith went too far by lampooning Christianity and the Catholic Church in particular. Is there a redeeming message about faith at the end or is it just offensive from start to finish? Do you think this fantasy comedy merited all of the controversy it stirred up or not?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    Not For Younger Kids

    Good role models = they all come out good in the end, While I'm not religious, this movie still attracted me, and I loved it. There's a lot of blood and violence....and LITERALLY feces (big poop monster demon), lots of mentioning of the devil and God and weighs heavily on the Christian religion, a stripper scene, and people doing crazy things like falling from the sky. Something good about it is that some of the strongest characters (i.e. Bethany, the muse, God) were all women.

  2. I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Iowa
    I rate this title on for age 16 and give it 1.0

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Louisiana
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 3.0

    great movie with a good morale

    this movie was kick @$$ it was awesome it was so funny silent bob and and all the actors from clerks omg i practicaly peed my pants i bet god is a black chick it is a must see from my point of view if your parents are really down on the whole christ thing i wouldn't see it around them then again the language is another reason for that.i think this movie deserves a 5 out of 5

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Funny but....

    It was the stupid kind of funny mostley where you kind of half groan half laugh.

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Yes!

    Hilarious. Entertaining. Amazing. This is one of the best comedies ever made. Period. A hilarious religious satire that mostly takes stabs at catholics. Some christians will be offended, but i am one and found it pleasing anyway. Don't take it too seriously...its a comedy...

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 2.0

    Bad

    This movie was actually really stupid. Dont watch it.

  8. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Kentucky
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 5.0

    This is a brilliant movie. It treats religious belief seriously and understands the pain that loss of faith can cause. It puts women in a position of power. While it could be upsetting to those who fear to question faith, it ultimately affirms the comfort and value of embracing God.

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