Considering it's a take on the classic Hollywood "bible epic" set around 33 AD in Jerusalem, naturally the titular Clarence (Oscar-nominated LaKeith Stanfield) naturally bumps into Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock)on occasion. But rather than becoming an apostle, Clarence would rather become a messiah himself and make a quick buck grifting people with his "miracles".
If that sounds messy, it should not have been. but this "Book" needed to pick a lane. It's messy in terms of tone, balance, pacing, and even mission. Sometimes I thought I knew where it was going or what it was trying to say, but no! And in a good way, sort of since it keeps you guessing to a degree. But in other ways, it just seems lost - as though it went through some last-minute script revisions,
maybe a key element got cut, or it wasn't sure what it was ultimately trying to say or how to say it.
But when it gets serious near the inevitable, telegraphed end, it delivers more gut-wrenching emotional punches than any torture porn from Mel Gibson ever could.
But even that came off a little odd, as it was previously funny - and even funny here and there in its emotional climax. Hence, uneven.
All of which brings down an otherwise interesting and entertaining flick to a B- from me, although still well above average for everything it did right; but I was hoping for so much more.
THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (2023)
MPAA: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hr 9 mins
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, History
