In this self-dubbed "comic fantasia," Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon) are fallen angels who have spent the whole of recorded human history exiled in Wisconsin. When the pair learn that a PR-hungry New Jersey church has resurrected the archaic Catholic practice of plenary indulgence (by which one is absolved of all sin by merely walking into the church), they see it as their opportunity to get back to Heaven. However, by returning to paradise, they will be defeating God's will, thereby destroying the whole of creation, which is based upon an omniscient and infallible Deity. The unlikely mortal chosen to intercede on Heaven's behalf is Christ's last living relative, an abortion clinic (settle down, now, all of youse) worker from Illinois named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino). Metatron (Alan Rickman), God's go-between angel, appears to Bethany and dispatches her to New Jersey to foil the angels' plan. Along the way, she encounters friends and foes of varying degrees of divinity, all of whom have their own motivations for aiding or abating the "Last Scion," who is herself coping with a world where agnosticism is suddenly no longer an option.

Dogma is at its best when it goes on the flights of Socratic fancy that have characterized Smith's previous films; perhaps no other writer/director pens such entertaining — though often self-conscious — dialogues. Smith's struggles with faith are conveyed through the energetic and often poignant exchanges between his hilarious characters. However, the story's crystallizing moment is when Bethany recalls how she lost her faith after an illness left her sterile; it becomes clear that, like heavenly castoffs Bartleby and Loki, she feels betrayed and deserted by the god to whom she had been devoted.

Dogma's scale prevents it from achieving the intimate character depth of Smith's previous film Chasing Amy; nonetheless, it takes wing through its cast, and is his best-acted film yet. Alan Rickman stands out as a weary and frustrated spokesman for God who still longs for the tequila he can no longer drink. The chemistry between Affleck and Damon is perfect, and Chris Rock imbues his role as Rufus, the forgotten 13th Apostle, with the same energy and candor that has propelled him to stand-up stardom. Smith's fans will celebrate the return of the gloriously crude Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), who become Bethany's earthly protectors, but others will wonder how the priapic stoner duo wound up in the movie. As for lead Fiorentino, her sensitive performance keeps the celestial film's center planted firmly in the human realm.

Dogma has too much fun running over traditional sacred cows to be a "serious" film — but neither is it The Mallrats' Ten Commandments. And, though the film opens with the notion that the Church is switching from the dour Holy Crucifix to a winking and thumbs-up "Buddy Jesus," the film is hardly an attack on Catholicism itself, just some of its historical missteps. Dogma is one of the most pro-religious (and specifically, pro-Catholic) films in recent memory. Though there are well-aimed jabs at the Church, it is clear that Smith embraces the Catholicism he's satirizing. In fact, it is so exclusively Catholic that some viewers may find themselves left out in the cold; for us non-Christian types, it's like watching a party which we weren't invited to.

This complaint aside, Dogma's biggest problem is its extra weight: comedically lame "poop demons" (don't ask) and a few go-nowhere characters (like Salma Hayek's sultry muse and Jason Lee's wasted Azrael) compete for airtime with lengthy-but-brilliant iconoclastic diatribes, such as the Bible's omission that Jesus was black ... a little bit of editing would have gone a long way.

But is the movie offensive, as the Catholic League would have us believe? Hardly. Smith allows his lifelong love of comic books to infiltrate the action, giving the film a superheroic attitude towards its spiritual adventure. Dogma's truck-driver mouth belies its choirboy soul. Despite its rowdy humor, it's a movie that has you cheering for God. Why would you want to ban that?