The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie Review

"Humans. God's only mistake."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown April 2, 2024

It's been a minute since someone decided to have a bit of fun at the expense of Jesus's most devout. Maybe decades, if you're really looking for the most striking example. Quite famously (or infamously, depending on who you ask), Monty Python's Life of Brian did the unthinkable and toyed with *gasp* the guy, um, born in the shack next to Jesus's stable. Doesn't seem so offensive in retrospect, does it? But late '70s hardline Christians, gearing up for the furor that would later surround The Last Temptation of Christ and, further down the pike, Dogma, lost their minds assuming the absolute worst. Turns out Jesus wasn't the butt of Python's jokes after all. Religious extremism and blind faith were... although you'd have to actually sit down and watch the flick to know that, which far too many weren't very keen to do. And God forbid you actually laugh at the expense of some poor well-intentioned zealot hoisting a "holy" sandal in the air. (Trust me, watch it. Hilarious.) Fast forward to 2023 and the comparatively tame reaction writer/director Jeymes Samuel's The Book of Clarence received. It's no less ready, willing and able to garner a good ol' fashioned religious savaging -- despite being far less clever and far more forgettable than Brian -- but it came and went with hardly a protestor trotting out a sign. My theory? The greater the film, the stronger the backlash. And Clarence isn't that great. It teeters on the verge of being even worse: bland.

The Book of Clarence certainly looks the part. Title character Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is a struggling pothead in 33 AD, scraping money together to pay back a loan shark (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) who, to his dismay, is the brother of the love of his life, Varinia (Anna Diop). Worse, the decidedly white Anglo-European Romans pin a theft on Clarence and his friend Elijah (RJ Cyler), making life that much more difficult for the down- on-his-luck Israelite. But then inspiration strikes: Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock), a man claiming to be the true Messiah who might just be the real deal. Staging his own path to Messiah-hood, Clarence sees a narrow way forward to a debt-free existence. If, that is, he can convince people to follow him.

Not that the road ahead is as easy as he assumes. John the Baptist (David Oyelowo) rejects him. The Disciples laugh him out of the room. His twin brother Thomas (Stanfield) -- yep, the Doubter -- isn't any help. But Judas Iscariot (Michael Ward)? Judas might be down with Clarence's ascension, suggesting the young upstart free a group of slaves to earn his place as Jesus's 13th disciple. More surprising is some guidance from Jesus's parents (Alfre Woodard and Brian Bovell)... not that it helps. Frustrated with their insistence that Jesus isn't a con artist, Clarence sets out to perform "miracles" of his own and win the crowds. All he wins, though, is the attention of the privileged Romans, and especially that of Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy). The film also stars Omar Sy as Barabbas, Teyana Taylor as Mary Magdalene, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Clarence's mother, Benedict Cumberbatch as Benjamin, and Tom Glynn-Carney and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Pilate's captains.

Instead of a sharp satire, The Book of Clarence wanders about in search of purpose. One minute a stoner comedy, and a lazily penned one at that, the next minute an introspective drama, it stumbles about without a lot of direction. Samuel tries for sketch-like bits at first, manifesting Python, but then begins to bobble between cheap laughs and heavy-handed seriousness, searching for meaning when the story offers little more than the possibility that Clarence dig deep and learn who he really is. Stanfield and McAvoy deliver, particularly when sharing the screen, but the rest of the cast seems lost in the mix, disappearing as quickly as they appear; a parade of extended cameos that reference Biblical characters and situations but rarely do much more with said references. Modern racial tensions are laid bare, sure, but only superficially, lending little to the cultural conversation of the 21st century, relying on threadbare parallels with the Hebrews and Romans rather than leaning in and doing the hard work. (Trying so hard not to bring The Life of Brian up again, but it can't be helped. Skewering the perils of then-modern religious fanaticism was its bread and butter, and it was oh so tasty.)

That said, shoving Life of Brian-level expectations out of my head helped. (Not that it's a perfect film. The Pythons struggled to stick the landing, turning instead to aliens, one too many foot chases, and a cute but anticlimactic musical number, classic though it may be.) Taken on its own terms, The Book of Clarence is a solid stab at playing within the sandbox of a parodied Biblical epic. Its production design, costuming and cinematography are spot on, and the soundtrack is smart and catchy. Either genre lane would've been fine, honestly. I could've gone for a dope-fueled, dim-witted comedy; light, harmless and quick on its baked feet a la Clarence's first act. I also would've been jazzed to find a darker, more poignant character piece in the vein of its third act, which finds Stanfield in dire straits facing his own literal cross. There are some real laughs to be had, and a few moments of real power. It's all too much tug of war for Samuel to manage, but if you can compartmentalize, there's enough here to enjoy to warrant a rainy day watch.

The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Book of Clarence boasts a fantastic 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation, brimming with lifelike skin tones, vivid primaries, beautiful contrast leveling, and exacting detail. The film's bloody Roman reds pierce through its earthy desert hues to great effect, and blooming light and absorbing shadow lend filmic power to early moments that verge on made-for-TV hijinks. Edges are crisp and clean too, with flawlessly resolved fine textures and revealing delineation. I also didn't detect any hint of macroblocking, banding, crush or other distracting encoding issues, leaving me without a single gripe or even nitpick to encroach on The Book of Clarence's perfect video score. I may not have thought much of the film itself, but there are numerous shots and entire scenes that are simply gorgeous. Take a look at the screenshots accompanying this review and tell me I'm wrong.

The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track adds plenty of welcome weight to the proceedings as well. Dialogue is intelligible and well-prioritized at all times. Rear speaker activity is engaging and involving enough to make gladiator stadiums, crowded streets, barren deserts, wind-swept wildernesses, and riotous mobs convincing and immersive. Channel pans are slick, directionality is precise, and the music rarely, if ever, overpowers. LFE output lends heft to low-end elements as well, making for some chest-thumping sonics that elevate Clarence's more dramatic encounters and help raise the hairs on your neck when his trek toward Messiah-hood goes sideways in the third act.

The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Director Jeymes Samuel and leading man LaKeith Stanfield sit down for a detailed conversation about the intentions behind the film, insight into broader elements of faith and history, walking the line between comedy and drama, the casting and production, and the hope for the manner in which the film will be seen, understood and enjoyed (with full acknowledgement as to how some audiences not only aren't the target demographic, but could never become a part out of a refusal to approach sacred elements with an open mind).

• Blu-ray Exclusive Deleted Scenes (HD, 31 minutes) - Eight scenes with filmmaker introductions, including "Judas' Mission," "Leper Colony," "Jesus and Judas Subtitled," "Clarence In Prison," "Romans and Elijah," "Mary Asks," "Hair Salon" and "Jail Cell."

• Book 4: Making the Film (HD, 9 minutes) - An upbeat trip behind the scenes.

• The Gospel of Jeymes (HD, 9 minutes) - An "On the Set" featurette focusing on Samuel.

• Band of Brothers (HD, 12 minutes) - Meet the ensemble cast.

• Song of Songs: An Epic Collaboration (HD, 4 minutes) - Bringing together the eclectic music of the film.

• Gag Reel (HD, 5 minutes)

• Previews (HD)

The Book of Clarence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Book of Clarence is two films for the price of one, although had filmmaker Jeymes Samuel picked just one genre the end result would have been much sharper and memorable for it. A bit too much of a shoulder shrug for me, it's bound to find an audience, however small and specific that audience may be. Sony's Blu-ray release, however, isn't stuck in the middle of a game of tug of war. With a perfect video presentation, excellent lossless audio track, and a solid complement of extras, it's well worth the price of admission.