Kevin Smith’s Dogma called the best Ben Affleck–Matt Damon collaboration

Collider says Kevin Smith’s Dogma is the peak of the creative partnership between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, outranking more famous team-ups such as Good Will Hunting and their recent reunion in Netflix’s The Rip. In Dogma, Damon and Affleck play fallen angels Loki and Bartleby who discover a loophole in Catholic doctrine that could grant them forgiveness and access to Heaven—an outcome that would also prove God fallible and undo existence.

The film’s sprawling ensemble includes Linda Fiorentino as a descendant of Christ trying to stop them, Alan Rickman as the voice of God, Chris Rock as a lost apostle, Jason Mewes and Smith as Jay and Silent Bob, plus George Carlin, Jason Lee and Salma Hayek. The duo were only two years removed from their Oscar win for Good Will Hunting when Dogma was released, and Smith had produced Good Will Hunting while Affleck had appeared in Mallrats and Chasing Amy, the latter of which also featured Damon in a brief role.

The article highlights how Dogma capitalizes on the pair’s real-life chemistry for both comedy and drama: moments range from the two lazing in an airport terminal and trading profane banter to Loki causing mischief in a Disney-like boardroom and walking away from Bartleby rapping Run-DMC’s "Run’s House." A later reveal that Bartleby wants to strike down God creates a searing dramatic confrontation that culminates in a violent climax on the steps of a New Jersey church.

Key Topics

Culture, Dogma, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting