By: Kimberly Grant
There’s good and bad when it comes to The Book of Clarence. Since I prefer to end my writings on a good note, I’ll start with the bad.
The Book of Clarence will release in theaters on January 12.
The Bad
Before screening The Book of Clarence, I checked its IMDb.com page to get some information. I was thoroughly disappointed to find that not only did the site give top billing to Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, but it doesn’t list any of the character names. The actors were on the page, but there was no information on the roles that they played.
My first thought was that someone at Legendary Pictures (by way of TriStar Pictures) didn’t bother to do their job. They literally had one job. It made me feel like the film was not given the usual filming notes treatment because it has a mostly black cast. To make matters worse, the two white actors of the film were given higher billing than the titular star (LaKeith Stanfield) and the main cast; all black.
Fortunately, this has been resolved and the right actors and their characters have been given top billing. Although, who ever filled in the IMDb profile for the movie failed to include the actual names of all the female characters.
Another issue I had with this film is the preamble before the film. Writer/director/producer Jeymes Samuel gives the audience some background into why he wrote the film. I will give you more on that later. Unfortunately, no one thought to put his name and position on the screen. So, it just makes it look like a black man telling people what he wanted people to think of the film.
The Good
In The Book of Clarence, Clarence (Stanfield) is a petty criminal who doesn’t believe in God and is in debt to Lower Jerusalem kingpin, Jedidiah The Terrible (Eric Kofi-Abrefa). Clarence also wants to woo Jedidiah’s sister, Varinia (Anna Diop), and put his mother, Amina (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), in a much better house. Inspired by Jesus of Nazareth (Nicholas Pinnock), Clarence decides to make himself a Messiah. Along the way, Clarence discovers things about himself and changes his life.
Samuel is no stranger to making traditional films with an all-black cast. He’s the writer/director/producer of Netflix’s The Harder They Fall. The same film also starred Stanfied. In his address to the audience before The Book of Clarence, Samuel gives the audience some background on what they’re about to see. He says things like: “I want to give the audience something they’ve never seen before” and “The Bible gives broad strokes as a guide, but doesn’t talk about the brick…the people who walked the Earth during Jesus’ time”. He ends the address with “Have a wickedly dope time!”
If you are a Christian who feels like the Bible is black and white and you take it word-for-word-for-punctuation, then you are not going to like this film. There is so much creative license taken for this film, that it will turn off many Christians. If you are a Christian who sees the Bible as a guide and believes in a gray area of life, you just might enjoy this film. If you are agnostic or believe in God but haven’t been to church in a while, then you will like this movie. In essence, you will have to bring your open mind with you to watch The Book of Clarence.
Director of photography, Rob Hardy, deserves a mention for how well this film is framed and lit. Usually, dark skinned actors aren’t lit properly for the screen and they are either almost invisible or look like a dark ghost. Not in The Book of Clarence. Everyone is easy to see and identify.
Lousy With Talent
Samuel was able to attract a healthy roster of great black talent, as well as Cumberbatch and McAvoy. Let’s start with the musical selection, Samuel is also the music producer on the film. The soundtrack for The Book of Clarence includes songs from Samuel, Jay-Z (Shawn Carter, who is also a producer on the film), Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, and more. Not going to lie. The soundtrack for the movie is fire.
The women in this movie include half veteran actresses and upcoming actresses. Jean-Baptiste brings some levity to a mother who just wants the best for her son and tries to encourage him to do better. Alfre Woodard plays Jesus mother, Mary. Think Queen Ramonda in Black Panther only better. Woodard is a serious actress and has been known to do some comedy roles. She’s great either way.
Diop plays the beautiful love interest in the film, who echoes Clarence’s mother in trying to get him to be better. Teyana Taylor plays Mary Magdalene. She’s not that great as an actress, but I can tell she gave the role her best. Hopefully practice will make perfect.
In the actor category, Stanfield as Clarence is awesome. He pulls double duty playing Clarence’s twin brother and apostle Thomas. Both characters are at odds with each other and spend most of the movie arguing. Not an easy feat for an actor.
Other black talent in the film include David Oyelowo as John the Baptist. Babs Olusanmokun as slave owner Asher the Torturer. Omar Sy plays former slave-turned-disciple of Clarence, Barabbas. Michael Ward plays Judas. And RJ Cyler plays Clarence’s most loyal friend, Zeke.
If I have to compare The Book of Clarence to a film that you readers could understand, it would be Belly, which starred Nas and DMX. The film isn’t that great, but there’s a powerful, faith-based message hidden in a film that appears to be about drug dealers and strippers. Similarly, The Book of Clarence has a hidden message about belief. It’s just hidden under dope rhymes and a lot of creative license.
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You can read about my favorite films of 2023 via my Entertainment Blog.
