I had really high hopes for The Book of Clarence after watching the trailer. My theatre had this at just two screenings a day the week it came out so I knew I had to go see it quickly as it has a short theatrical run written all over it. I did like this movie, but what I thought I was getting and what I ended up getting was quite a bit different.
How to Download The Book of Clarence
The Book of Clarence was released on January 12, 2024. You expect to be able to download or stream it from a digital platform two months after its release. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
A Deeper Look: The Book of Clarence Reviewed
Now, I did only watch the one trailer for The Book of Clarence and from that trailer, I got Dogma vibes from it. Dogma is my favorite Kevin Smith movie and the best biblical comedy of all time. I guess you could say I should have read up on the movie more, but everything I had heard and from what I saw in the trailer, led me to believe that this was a comedy.
The basic plot of the movie is that we have this guy called Clarence who is a Hebrew man who wants more from his life. Clarence and his buddy Elijah are a great and very entertaining pair and they end up in a spot of financial trouble. The way that the movie takes this classic setting, but still has some modern sensibilities going on was something that I did find to be a lot of fun.
Clarence likes to partake in a bit of recreational drug use. Clarence hears about Jesus and all of the “miracles” that he is doing and comes up with the great idea that he can pretend to also be a Messiah! Clarence does not believe in God and he is convinced that Jesus is running some kind of scam. He tries to get Mary and Joseph to admit that this is not real and asks them how Jesus is doing what he is doing!
Comedy Meets Drama in The Book of Clarence
I do think that the movie does a good job of making you care about Clarence. He comes across as a normal guy who just wants more from his life. Sure, Clarence is a bit rough around the edges, but you can tell that he has a good heart. Now, I came into the movie thinking that we were just going to be getting a whole lot of laughs and some fun jokes being made at religion’s expense and we certainly do get that. Also, there were some pretty exciting “action” style scenes that I did not expect either.
Yet, I was shocked at how much of a “drama” The Book of Clarence also was. I do not want to give spoilers here, but there are a few scenes that are quite brutal and hard-hitting and it may just be me, but the tone of these felt out of place. I would say that the first ¾ of the movie is a comedy without a doubt, but in that final act, the tone certainly does feel like it changes significantly.
Reflecting on The Book of Clarence
If someone asked me if I liked The Book of Clarence I would have to say yet. However, it was not the movie I thought I was getting, but it was still a good movie! It is a movie that I think I am going to have to watch again when it hits streaming as I may take more in or take to it better the second time around as some people are really loving and digging the story that this movie is telling.
