The film's thems are (to say the least) irreverent.  The characters include two fallen angels, roller-blading hockey demons, the thirteenth (black) apostle, and God Herself.  Parts of the script are very clever and the film has an appealing cast, including Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, and Alanis Morisette. Its message--a plea for tolerance, love and understanding--is a worthy one.

All this is undone, though, by Smith's offhand style. What worked well in more intimate films like CLERKS and CHASING AMY can't bear the weight of this film's ambitions. Lines fall flat, actors seem to flounder, and the whole thing comes off as though it had been made by someone with four fewer films and ten fewer years in his pocket. The offense here is not the subject matter but its failure to deliver.