Clarence comes from the wrong side of the tracks in Jeruselem and life is difficult. Clarence and his best friend Elijah (RJ Syler) sell weed, hustle and scrape along to get by. After losing a chariot race with money that is not his own, Clarence (after seeing the masses toss money at Jesus) decides that he’ll use his smarts to become the next Messiah, touting knowledge over belief. The plan works like clockwork for a while but soon Clarence realizes that he is slowly becoming a believer and that his journey to faith from athiesm comes with both promise and consequence.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie as ambitious as “The Book Of Clarence.” It’s a film that tries to have it both ways: a satire of religious culture and a serious examination of religioius faith. The fact that it succeeds most of the time is a testament to Samuel’s talent as a filmmaker. Samuel (who also wrote the script and composed the score) decides to modernize the dialogue with current slang and even some modern psychological analysis. It doesn’t fit the time period at all, but it mostly works for the story Samuel is telling. The first half of the film is filled with very funny dialogue and situations as Clarence, an avowed athiest, tries to navigate a city of believers. The scene between Clarence and the Virgin Mary (Alfre Woodard) in which Clarence tries to get her to reveal Jesus’ “tricks” is an all timer.
But as the movie continues, “The Book Of Clarence” reveals that Samuels is not directly making fun of Christianity, but some of its more confusing aspects (Immaculate Conception being one of these aspects). Samuels however honors the idea of faith and the power of Jesus Christ (Nicolas Pinnock). Though Clarence often resorts to trickery and deception to perform his “miracles” Jesus is clearly the real deal here. His presence is everywhere (even if Pinnock isn’t oncreen all that much). In fact, Clarence starts to come to his faith through his own thoughts and actions before ever even meeting Christ. It’s a fascinating concept that continues to provoke thought long after the credits roll.
Samuels gets uniformly excellent performances from his entire cast, with Stanfield standing out to dual roles, managing to give the brothers distinct personalities with just a subtle change of hairstyles as a cosmetic tool. Cyler is engaging as Clarence’s partner in crime and best friend, and Omar Sy is both affecting an hilarious as freed gladiator Barabbas. James McAvoy gets to chew the scenery a bit in the villainous role of Pontious Pilate, and a nearly unrecognizable Benedict Cumberbatch has a small but very important role as Ben, a beggar who plays a huge part in the story, specifically the climax of the tale. Other fine performances come from Anna Diop (as the love of Clarence’s life), David Oyelowo (as John The Baptist), Tayana Taylor (as Mary Magdalene), and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (as Clarence’s Mother).
So with all of the lavish praise I’m heaping upon “The Book Of Clarence” does it qulify as a classic? The answer is, at least for me, no. There are a few problems with “The Book Of Clarence” that keep it out of the five-star category. Most of the issues come with the wild tonal shifts in the narrative. Scenes of satire and hilarity are often followed by solemn, serious scenes that will have most audiences suffering narrative whiplash. The dialogue can be an issue as well, with the modern language sometimes conflicting with the historical surroundings. At least one time Samuels sacrafices narrative cohesion for humor, especially during a bit of dialogue spoken by Barabbas. The line is delivered in a way that’s uniformly hilarious but totally inappropriate for the film. (You will probably laugh your ass off though!_
So overall, “The Book Of Clarence” is an incredible swing for the fences that doesn’t quite his a grand slam. The performances, setting and direction make “The Book Of Clarence” worth seeing even if it is in conflict with some of its more ambitious ideas. Oh, and if you’re easily offended by the idea of a black Jesus Christ, you might won’t to skip this one. Otherwise, go in with an open mind and enjoy the efforts of one of the more talented filmmakers out there! 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!
