In The Book of Clarence, LaKeith Stanfield teams up with writer director Jeymes Samuel for a biblical comedy about a struggling man in the year 33 AD who attempts to capitalize on Jesus Christ’s popularity by claiming that he is the new messiah. The film garnered positive reactions after its premiere at the London Film Festival, and with Samuel’s sophomore effort (following 2021’s The Harder They Fall) hitting theaters on January 12, critics are weighing in on the flick.
Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield is in good company with a cast that includes David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, RJ Cyler and Teyana Taylor, amongst many others. In CinemaBlend’s review of The Book of Clarence, Mike Reyes says action, comedy and emotion come together in a film that may include Jesus but tells a story that people of every belief system can benefit from hearing. He gives the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing:
Jeymes Samuel has once again used his cinematic prowess to revamp a genre that some consider to be a relic. Displaying an understanding for those classics he’s trying to emulate and why they worked for their time, The Book of Clarence should appeal to anyone who believes in stories that possess an uplifting message. You're enraptured from the beginning as it literally opens with a blast of sound and light, and never lets up on the energy or the colorful storytelling it promises with that moment.
Neil Smith of GamesRadar rates the movie 3 stars out of 5, noting that LaKeith Stanfield is charismatic in a dual role, and it’s obvious Jeymes Samuel is having fun with the subject material. However, the movie overall gets a bit muddled in tonal confusion. In Smith’s words:
Around the midway point, though, anarchic gusto gives way to po-faced reverence as Clarence gains both a conscience and, confusingly, preternatural powers. A Da Vinci-esque Last Supper is milked for laughs, while a mass crucifixion is played bloodily straight – a puzzling tonal blend that may well make viewers query the cohesion of the film’s intentions.
Guy Lodge of Variety enjoys the ensemble of mostly Black actors putting a twist on a white-dominated genre, though this critic also noted the movie’s bifurcated tone, and wonders if it will be able to attract the open-minded audience required of such a venture. Lodge continues:
It’ll certainly prove a hard sell to the U.S. audience that conventionally turns up for faith-based fare — people who tend to prefer their Bible stories without four-letter words, disco dance interludes and atheistic, weed-smoking heroes. Whether The Book of Clarence can woo a younger, hipper, more secular crowd will depend on viewers’ receptiveness to its peculiar tonal lurches: As its eponymous protagonist gradually finds faith, Samuel’s film increasingly ping-pongs between the puckish and the pious, though the rugged confidence of the filmmaking is a constant.
Leila Latif of IGN gives The Book of Clarence an “Okay” 6 out of 10, also questioning the audience who will receive this movie as intended. It has plenty of style and riotous comic moments, Latif says, but the piety and shifts in tone are “occasionally too heavy a cross for it to bear.” More from the critic:
It's an admirable effort for Samuels to draw in so many of the world’s horrors and surround them with fun: The Book of Clarence is surprisingly cohesive for a movie that precedes a lynching with a dance number. But even if it's frequently impressive, it’s still pretty befuddling as a whole. It's possible there are many millions of movie fans who like their religious teachings with a side of racial commentary and a large helping of slapstick. Samuels puts faith in their existence, but to paraphrase something Clarence says to Thomas: ‘I believe in life itself. You pray to a man no one has ever met.’
While comparisons to Life of Brian are inevitably made by many critics, Josh Slater-Williams of IndieWire argues that The Book of Clarence is less Monty Python and more gospel fan fiction. He grades the “lively but erratic” film a B-, writing:
Giving the final days of Christ a contemporary, allegorical spin, The Book of Clarence is more concerned with entertainment value than delivering a sermon. The results are tonally erratic, but absolutely interesting, at the very least.
The critics seem to have plenty of good things to say about the movie, specifically LaKeith Stanfield and the rest of the cast, even if there is some question about the movie’s tone and what kind of audience it hopes to attract.
If you think you are that audience, you’ll be able to see The Book of Clarence for yourself starting Friday, January 12. Be sure to also check out our 2024 movie calendar to see what else is hitting the big screen soon.
