Dogma

This one looked kinda oddball to me, but a few things drove me to it: 1) a bud of mine convinced me the director made really funny, kick-ass films; 2) Chris Rock is in it; 3) Alannis Morisette is God. I paid full price, a rare thing for me, and I don't regret a cent.
Years ago, two angels were cast out of Heaven for failure to obey God. Through an inadvertant blunder of the Catholics (who else?), the angels find a back door into Heaven again. Unfortunately, this will undo all existence (see the movie for explanation). So the task falls upon a woman, Linda Fiorentino, who is revealed as humanity's savior. She is appointed two prophets, one of the original apostles, and a muse as companions in her efforts. Everything comes to a head at the end, but I'm not spoiling it.
This is the funniest movie this year, or at least tied with American Pie for that distinction. The tongue-in-cheek-but-not-really poke at organized religion is a riot, and the capper is George Carlin, as a Catholic bishop, revealing the new image of the Catholic church. The dialogue is snappy, and the conversations go a lot deeper than just the words you hear. Give a good thought to the ideas behind the lines, and you've got a really great piece of ideological fat to chew on. The laughs in this movie come along at a fast clip, and you'll probably miss a couple of lines while the audience is laughing. Especially in the board room scene. You'll understand later.
If you're a religious zealot, have no sense of humor, or you are a combination of the two, don't see this film. For everyone else, leave your church- and temple-wrought ideologies at the door and giggle your butt off. Well worth the price of admission.

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