User reviews

Clarence, a non-believer in the messiah Jesus and a debtor, is willing to do anything for the woman he loves and his mother. With the deadline for his debt fast approaching, Clarence decides to do something drastic. Clarence declares himself a messiah and travels around Jerusalem, spreading his word of knowledge and performing "miracles." The possible conflict with the Romans and God comes with the success of being a messiah.

This film is part satire, part Biblical re-enactment, and part alternate history. The satire comes from applying modern ideas, concepts, and solutions in ancient times. The Biblical re-enactment comes from many of the people from the Bible are characters in this movie and are portrayed the same way. The alternate history take is how Jesus is shown compared to other Biblical films. The movie has comedy, morality, drama, spirituality, and aspects of Christianity. The movie is broken up into parts and is a good length. This is a decent watch for anyone willing to approach history, religion, and spirituality with an open mind.

This film is very multi layered that many will miss the point of the movie.

One way to see this is a satire on people, particularly black people with little to no faith in God, and how they move in the world.

It's then a satire on how religion is exploited for one's personal gain. Think of many mega churches who look to prophesies on Jesus teachings and miracles.

Its then finally a satire on how people who we deem "unworthy" and how their soul is just as much worthy than everyone else's.

Intermixed in there is the relationship between the Judeans and the Roman's as an allegory between police/authority and the people they govern. Which may or may not have been somewhat factual since it has been proven that the people there would have been people of color. It may also give an introspection on why Jesus was hated by the Jews so much. But I digress.

I'd say give this film a second chance with these points, and you might find this movie a bit more favorable.

Oh and I love that Last Supper shot they had when they froze in place, that was dope.

When I saw that Samuel was following up The Harder They Fall with a Black Biblical satire, I got pretty excited. I actually don't mind sacrilege or reinterpretation. Life of Brian? Blessed are the cheesemakers. Last Temptation of Christ? Other than Keitel's accent, I was onboard. Anyway, the problem with this one isn't the religious satire. It's that it tries to succeed at a few too many things. It wants to be an effective satire, drama, and romance all at once. It is hard enough to make a movie like Leap of Faith that cuts across all those genres, but doing it with a story that takes place at the time of Jesus might be just a bit too ambitious. In order to make everything work, the movie rushes through multiple genres (sometimes in a single scene) trying to fit it all in. As a result, the cast nails it and Samuel directs it well...but I still never quite settled in enough to care.

The actors all played their roles well but the story was much different than what the trailer implied.

My partner and I both thought this would be a action romp that poked a bit of fun at the story of Jesus. Maybe even that it would be a bit politically and religiously subversive. It managed a few funny moments, but in the end it was just a story of a man finding faith and being violently punished for it.

The director said in an interview that movies like The Ten Commandments were his inspiration for this movie. I don't think that's apparent from the trailer but it's very obvious after watching the movie. It provides Black representation for that genre and feints towards being something more but, in the end, don't watch this unless you're looking for an awkwardly written Bible story.

"The Book of Clarence" is a film that fails to deliver on its promise. Despite a talented cast, the film is a confusing mix of biblical themes and farce that never quite comes together. LaKeith Stanfield delivers a solid performance as the streetwise hustler Clarence, but the script fails to give him much to work with. The film's attempts at political relevance fall flat, and the farcical elements are often more cringe-worthy than funny. The chariot race scene is one of the few highlights, but it's not enough to save the film. Overall, "The Book of Clarence" is a disappointing and confusing film that fails to live up to its potential.

I literally just made an IMDb account just now so I could leave a positive review of this film. It definitely deserves it. A fun ride of a non believer who slowly learns lessons through God he didn't know he needed. The music is also so nice. The ending was pretty perfect to me. Don't want to spoil things! Lakeithe Stanfield 100% deserves Oscar buzz for his performance. He made me laugh, think deeply and cry within this movie. There aren't many movies I can say that about. I saw it a week ago and I still am thinking of his character arc. To anyone that's said it's blasphemous and hasn't watched the movie, I assure you, this movie is great, it's not making fun or Jesus in any way. You watch and you will understand!

This movie was an interesting take on making a camp, religious mix. Lakeith was incredible (obviously), especially toward the end as the film grew more emotional. Omar Sy was also a phenom as a stoic side character.

Many jokes landed, but the script did not. Many of the female characters were quite one dimensional (although that may be due to the time period of it). Some of the allegories the film attempted to make were forced. The slapstick comedy with religion was pretty clever, but it didn't make up for a lot of the unexplained hijinks throughout the film. Although, it did make some great, hilarious use of both McAvoy and Cumberbatch in some minor yet great roles. Jeymes Samuel certainly has unique visions and a place in the future of filmmaking, but for me, this one fell a little short.

The Book Of Clarence might not be for everyone. It does reimagine a few things from the Bible and tells it from another point of view. This however might upset some who think this is being a mockery of religion as it's certainly far from that. In fact after watching this if you think it is saying something bad about religion you weren't really paying attention to the film. LaKeith Stanfield does a great job here playing our lead Clarence. The rest of the supporting cast is also terrific as well. Jeymes Samuel is in the Directing chair and he knows the type of film he is trying to make here. Coming off a strong film with The Harder They Fall, Jeymes does another strong job. My only complaint is I wish a little bit more was going on toward the middle of the film as it does start to drag on just a tad. Also the music selection was hit and miss as well. Overall I feel The Book of Clarence is going to become a cult classic when the dust settles. The Book of Clarence gets a solid 8 stars out of 10 from me.

The film could be argued that it deseverse a 4 or 5 based on the asking of its lead of. Lakeith Stanfield as always gives a great performance. But i couldn't help but think of life a brain. Another comedy based on the idea of a messiah opposite of Jesus Christ during the same time. This version though is just straight boring and too often just not funny at all. Stanfield is a performer whom you can't help warming to, although here, as sometimes in the past, I found myself wanting him to bring something extra in the third act, some new level of energy or anger. At the end of the day Lakeith Stanfield performance cant not save a boring comedy that is not nearly has funny as movie coming decades earlier that has the same idea.

My wife and I caught The Book of Clarence (2023) in theaters last night. The storyline follows two weed dealers in Jerusalem during the time of Christ, facing financial hardships and attempting to become apostles or create their own Messiah to solve their problems.

Directed by Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall), the film stars LaKeith Stanfield (Knives Out), RJ Cyler (White Boy Rick), Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), James McAvoy (Split), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), and Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One).

This movie has a fantastic premise and a captivating start, especially in the first three quarters. The authentic attire and settings, along with stellar performances from the cast, contribute to the film's charm. The comedic elements are brilliant, reminiscent of a biblical Half Baked. Memorable scenes like the "get out" and "virgin" conversations, slap scenes, and baptism provide comedic gold. The inclusion of an '80s/'90s retro dance sequence adds to the enjoyment. Unfortunately, the conclusion takes a deep and serious turn, causing a drastic mood shift that dulls the movie and leaves the ending feeling flat.

In conclusion, The Book of Clarence offers enough worthwhile content to make it a must-see, but it falters at times, preventing it from achieving classic status. I'd give it a score of 6-6.5/10 and recommend it once.

Before I go negative, I have to give major props to LaKeith Stanfield. His performances are always convincing. And this is no exception. He kills it. I said wow multiple times. I think he's reached star status. The rest of the cast does a good job as well.

As for the movie overall, it's not actively bad in any way. A lot of it just feels off. The story is a bit clunky. Some of the jokes land while others don't. I'm not really attached to any characters other than the lead.

I just wasn't into it. I wasn't engaged and I had difficulty getting through it. Maybe it's just not for me.

I look forward to LaKeith's next project.

(1 viewing, 2/6/2024)

This film is a curiosity as I saw it billed as a comedy and western (?) but the jokes are lacking. The sound was bad and I couldn't follow the dialogue or understand what the cast was saying. There were less than 10 people in the theater but my friend and I were the only ones who laughed about five times. I'm so sorry to give it a bad review as I like to support black films but this one missed the mark. Or maybe it's too sophisticated for me ? I suggest you watch it free on tv eventually as you just won't get much value from watching at a theater. Read the other reviews if you're interested in taking a chance.

If, like me, you are quirky enough to consider Monty Python's movie "Life of Brian" and the album "Aquemini" by OutKast to both be all time classic artistic expressions, you will love this film!

I think this film may be a bit too nuanced and "out there" for basic film audiences, but if you're tired of standard film tropes and cliched dialog, this film is definitely worth checking out! Has all the elements needed for a long-lasting hood classic.

Will see this a second time and (frankly) in a more urban setting. Totally different performance coming from LaKeith on this one, but as always, nothing short of spellbinding.

This movie was being recommended on Netflix several times and I finally gave in and watched it.

I only know regular things about religion just as much as anyone else, I am not really familiar with anything more than this. At the end of the movie, I just found myself confused. I think the issue lies with the audience of this movie.

I am a casual movie fan who likes to watch various films whenever I have time. I am not an expert on anything specific, so I cannot speak on depths of knowledge.

I feel like you can only understand this movie properly if you are accustomed to religion to a certain degree. Apart from that, the pacing of this movie was confusing. I felt like some moments had too much spotlight while other scenes didn't get enough details.

Are we expected to know things about religion in order to get what is the purpose of the movie? I mean sure I have a general idea but the execution is so messy even I am having a hard time coming up with an opinion.

I am uncertain of the causes of the mid-line ratings for this film. Regardless of your religious outlook, I found this to be insightful, thought-provoking, and appealing to younger generations. Yes, there are points of humor added for entertainment, but the meaning behind the entire film is beautiful. Historians have confirmed there were several who claimed themselves the Messiah to profit. This movie shows one of these accounts and the realistic reactions and actions that likely had been experienced during the time. It's skepticism, mockery, experience, admission, and faith.

Though it's clear creative liberties were taken, the message is consistent and clear; no matter your belief system, these messages can be applied to all walks of life. The poignant moments of commentary regarding the disparaged to those who have, the evolution of morality, and the powerless to the powerful is formed in a way that is palatable for most with an open mind who view this movie as a time to expand your limitations and are open to discussion.

Also-- the soundtrack is fire!

The Book of Clarence struggles to balance its religious satire/stoner comedy aspirations against its sincere retelling of the bible. Even if it doesn't entirely coalesce it's still a lot of fun whilst using its deliberate casting choices to draw parallels from the Roman empire to 21st Century America and has an investing story of a nobody trying to become a somebody.

LaKeith Stanfield is an endlessly watchable screen presence and the fact that there's two of him here only makes it better as he has some great arguments and emotional beats with himself. Omar Sy is so damn likeable here with both the coolest moment and one of the best jokes. James McAvoy comes into the film late and uses every minute to make sure his villainy still leaves an impression.

Jeymes Samuel's direction has plenty of style and uses Tom Eagles' snappy editing to great effect. It starts with a chariot race that emphasises the crashes with a first person perspective and then continues to look gorgeous as it goes along. Just as he did with The Harder They Fall, Samuel's score takes the classic sound of the genre and modernises it beautifully.

I felt like there was a lot going on while watching the film. The film started out strong with its Book 1. I loved how established the story is from the beginning. It was even funny to watch the characters so casually in such an ancient and medieval setting. Even the biblical references were coolly represented. But then I felt the story went spiraling down towards the end. It was not a linear kind of plot. It was multi-faceted, and I wish it was not. I would have toned down the film to a more simplistic plot and less runtime. But I must say this was LaKeith Stanfield's best performance to date.

This was an interesting take on the New Testament story of Jesus and Clarence. Of course it was inaccurate to the Bible, but we could tell it was going to be based off the trailer. There were a lot of funny moments in this movie that left me and others trying to hold in our laughter, but the way things were going it was hard not to. The beginning and middle of the movie was boring a bit for me which made me tune out because it seemed obvious what was going to happen, but the story took an unexpected turn towards the end of the movie that actually got my attention. The music and soundtrack was very good to me, but honestly it wasn't a bad film, just don't expect anything to be just like the Bible.

I waited a long time for this film. The premise was intriguing, the casting was excellent, and it had originality in spades. But I ended up shutting it off after the first hour.

I thought I'd get a unique spin on period peices but instead I got a lame trip through colonial Williamsburg. The people, setting, everything felt so modern that it rang hollow. No pun intended but this film that's not about Jesus felt soulless.

And the comedy ranges from subtle tongue-in-cheek jabs to outlandish looney tune nonsense. I was waiting for someone to run through a wall leaving behind a human shaped print. I just don't understand (at least in the first hour) what this film was trying to accomplish? Either way, it took too long to accomplish and I can only watch so many jokes about weed before I turn it off.