Synopsis
Two fallen angels discover a loophole that could restore them to Heaven, but their return would invalidate God's infallibility and erase all existence. Bethany Sloane, a disillusioned descendant of Jesus, is recruited by the angel Metatron to stop them. Joined by the prophets Rufus and the thirteenth apostle, she travels through New Jersey and beyond in a crude, irreverent battle over faith, free will, and cosmic bureaucracy.
Factoids & Trivia
- Kevin Smith wrote the screenplay before making Clerks, but postponed the project because he felt he lacked the experience to handle its larger scale and religious themes.
- Principal photography took place from March through June 1998. Although the story begins in New Jersey, most of the film was shot around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the Asbury Park boardwalk used for the attack on John Doe Jersey.
- The film's treatment of Catholic doctrine prompted protests and condemnation from Catholic groups before release. The controversy contributed to the postponement of its originally planned 1998 release.
- Disney-owned Miramax ultimately did not distribute the film. Miramax executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein bought the distribution rights through a separate company, after which Lions Gate released the movie theatrically in the United States.
- Dogma premiered out of competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival before opening in the United States on November 12, 1999.
- The film was made for approximately $10 million and became the highest-grossing entry in Smith's View Askewniverse at the time, earning about $45 million worldwide.
- Alan Rickman agreed to play Metatron after Smith and producer Scott Mosier learned that he was a fan of Chasing Amy.
- Several details reflect Smith's comic-book interests, including a Hellboy shirt, Madman toys, and dialogue that references The Incredible Hulk.
- The hockey sticks and inline skates used by the Stygian Triplets turn their supernatural attack into a visual joke rooted in New Jersey and Pittsburgh sports culture.