Posted by vpRockstar at pool0296.cvx13-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net on February 07, 2000 at 01:14:54:
In Reply to: Mallrats sequel? Scream 3? I have a REAL question! posted by Tony Shalhoub on February 06, 2000 at 23:43:31:
: Did Bartleby go to heaven or hell!?!?!
The main conflict in the film was that Bartleby and Loki were removed from heaven on a divine mandate and were trying to get back in. God told them that they would never enter heaven again. So they pull a fast one on God, so what? As was said in the film, if God is proved fallible then all existence will be denied (end of everything). So, given this and the fact that he went fucking postal on innocent, God fearing people, do you think God would admit Bartleby back into heaven?
This brings up another point - the theme of the film. Granted that I am not Dr. Smith, nor do I know him personally and have never even had any resemblance of discourse with him on this very board, I cannot offer this thematic interpretation as fact, rather as my take on the movie. With that out of the way, the odyssey, if you will, of Bartleby and Loki to get back into heaven on nitpicky, lawyeresque details of religious doctrine threaten the end of all existence, which is a bad thing for everyone (as long as you're not a suicidal fuck). Reading between the lines of witty dialect and slapstick gags (shit daemons, etc...) I saw that Kevin was suggesting that adhering to he said, she said types of dogmatic beliefs is not only a bad idea, but could bring about the end of the world altogether. Instead, he is suggesting that as long as one follows the spirit of the law they are basically good without strictly adhering to the letter of the law. In other words, as long as you believe in God and put your heart into it, little technicalities don't matter.
Whether you still adhere to strict dogmatic belief or not, Bartleby was not likely to get back into heaven.