The Book of Clarence (2023)

The Book of Clarence opens with a chariot race in Jerusalem, A.D. 33, and ends somewhere far more serious, and the road between the two has a few potholes. LaKeith Stanfield’s Clarence is behind on his debts to Jedediah the Terrible and has a thing for Jedediah’s sister Varinia, which is a bold financial strategy. His twin, Thomas, is already one of the Twelve, so Clarence pitches himself as apostle number thirteen and gets laughed out of the room. Plan B: go into business as a messiah himself, touring the land with his pal Elijah and the giant gladiator Barabbas, played by Omar Sy, staging miracles for money. Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy pop up too. Jeymes Samuel swings between broad comedy and sincere faith, and the shifts don’t always land, but it’s never timid. It runs 129 minutes and made $6.2 million worldwide on a reported $40M. A 6.2 because it takes real risks with a story most movies tell the same way. $25.74 says you leave arguing that Barabbas deserves a spin-off, and nobody in the room disagrees.

What works: The stacked cast, the bold style and Jeymes Samuel’s willingness to mix comedy with sincere faith make it unlike any other Bible movie.

What doesn’t: The tone swings between broad comedy and earnest drama so often that the results come out uneven from book to book.

Who it’s for: Viewers who want a biblical story told with swagger, and who can handle a comedy that turns into something much more sincere.