Dogma returned to theaters over 25 years after its release thanks to director Kevin Smith finally regaining the rights to the movie, which originally remained in the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Not only did he bring it back to theaters, but Smith has a big steel book 4K home release planned for the cult classic. Dogma tells the story of two angels who learn about a loophole that could get them back into Heaven, but it could destroy the Earth. Jay and Silent Bob have to team with a woman named Bethany to stop this from happening.

What is impressive is that Kevin Smith got an all-star cast to help him make this religious comedy. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck took on the lead roles as the angels, while Jason Lee was the demon who tempted them to make this drastic decision. Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, and Alan Rickman played three heavenly beings who help along the way. George Carlin also has a big role as the Catholic Cardinal. Finally, Linda Fiorentino is the lead character Bethany, but this wasn’t always going to be the case.

Alanis Morissette Turning Down Dogma Made Kevin Smith’s Movie Even Better

Kevin Smith Wanted Morissette To Play Bethany

Kevin Smith had someone else in mind to play Bethany, the scion of Jesus Christ, in Dogma. While Smith has admitted to being a mᴀssive fan of Linda Fiorentino, he originally pitched the role to a non-actor. Smith wanted pop star Alanis Morissette to play Bethany in the film. He revealed this in an AMA on Reddit while promoting the Dogma theatrical re-release.

“I asked Alanis to play Bethany back in 1996, but she said couldn’t handle the lead in a movie. ‘I’m not an actor,’ she said. ‘You act in your music videos,’ I argued. ‘And I saw you on You Can’t Do That on Television. You always acted like you didn’t know the slime was coming.’ But Nadine wasn’t having it. So I let it go. A year later, when we started gearing up to actually make Dogma, we cast the amazing Linda Fiorentino as Bethany.”

However, that wasn’t the end of the situation. After casting Fiorentino to play Bethany in Dogma, Morissette had a change of heart. Smith said that Morissette went on an excursion to India and came back refreshed. She wanted to be in his movie, anyway, saying “nothing food comes from not facing a fear.” Smith told her that he already cast Bethany’s role but he offered her another.

“‘You could play God.’

‘Me? Play God? Like… Why?’

‘Because I always thought God would be Canadian.’

I wasn’t wrong.”

When Alanis Morissette showed up at the end of Dogma as God, it was perfect. No one saw it coming, and she played God with such innocence and joy that it really helped end the movie on a high note that might not have been possible with any other actor in the role.

Why Dogma Still Holds Up So Well In 2025

The Movie Is A Satire That Still Respects Faith

Kevin Smith re-released Dogma into 700 theaters on June 6, 2025, and it made over $1 million in ticket sales. It expanded in its second week of re-release, and it is clear that fans love the movie as much now as they did when it came out. The film received several religious protests during its original release, and there was one that Smith even took part in without the protesters even knowing who he was. However, Smith points out that none of the protesters had even seen the film.

However, what makes it stand up so well is that when you get past the vulgar jokes and the giant poop monster, this is a movie where Smith lays his heart out and shows what he believes to be true concerning religion. It is a film with heart, and the cast delivers fantastic performances as they tell the story of people with so much faith that they risk their own lives to save the world, even in the face of hate and disinterest.

Dogma has a 71% critics score and 85% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. The film does the impossible, being a foul-mouthed and vulgar comedy with Jay and Silent Bob that is also somehow a reaffirming faith-based movie. It is a religious satire that wears its heart on its sleeves and remains one of Kevin Smith’s best films.

Source: Reddit