Ben D'Alessio
2 min readMay 6, 2024

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Sure. Here's my review. Find hundreds more on my page.

The Book of Clarence (2024)→ (39) I was all-in for “black Jerusalem” until we met the Romans, who are all white (and British?). Basically, the Jews are black (I don’t believe “Jew” or its other forms are even referenced and maybe there’s one sign in Hebrew and one shot of the Pharisees) and the Romans are British colonizers. There’s like three different “messiahs” and actually a powerful story of Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock) that is completely overshadowed by a terrible “stoner comedy” in sandals. This movie doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s considered a comedy, but this is not only an unfunny movie, but a cringe story with “oldspeak” while also saying things like “I got these cobblestones on lock”. Groan. It also has contemporary racial commentary that doesn’t fit or make sense. The movie doesn’t follow its own logic. You can have a contemporary soundtrack and make it work (The Great Gatsby). You can have crucifixions and comedy (The Life of Brian). But this movie leans into nothing while trying to do everything. One moment, Jedediah (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) is going to kill Clarence (Lakeith Stanfield) for not paying a debt, the next he’s risking his life against a Roman Legion to defend him. Had the plot leaned into the comedy without the political commentary, made the entire cast black (even some of the slaves are white, which doesn’t follow the story’s own logic…), and just had Clarence be a swindler mirroring Jesus who then finds the light (or doesn’t), this could’ve been a fresh and entertaining take. But this movie is one big mess. It shoehorns Biblical figures into the plot just to remind you where you are. Besides the look of it, it has very few redeeming aspects. Skip it.

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Ben D'Alessio
Ben D'Alessio

Written by Ben D'Alessio

Co-host of the TRM pod. Author of novels: Binge Until Tragedy, Lunchmeat, The Neon God, 6 Harlots: Rebirth of a Nation https://www.bendalessio.com/

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