I actually remember when religious outrage was a thing. Films suffered backlash because of their thematic elements. Somehow, and likely because it flew completely under the radar, there wasn’t any noise here. Still, this basically was abandoned and buried at the beginning of January with a theatrical release that was extremely underwhelming. So, is this the next Dogma? No.
The director of The Harder They Fall has once again assembled an insane cast, including Lakeith Stanfield, who pulls double duty as twin brothers. One of them is a disciple of Jesus, the other is Clarence. Clarence is just a regular guy, but with the help of his friends, and believing that Jesus was just doing magic tricks, convinces the people that he too is a prophet. this works in his favor, until eventually it doesn’t, and then Clarence looks headed to be one of those other guys hanging on the other crosses.
I mentioned the insane supporting cast, and they all have varying roles in size. From RJ Cyler and Tiana Taylor to James McAvoy and Michael Ward, it seems like people really want to be in a Jean Samuel film. He likely one day will use his directing powers for extreme good, and get his way into the Oscars, because there is a lot of talent here. However, this feels like something he took one too many passes at, and the tonal shifts really destroy the flow of the film. This can’t decide if it wants to follow the Mel brooks style of extremely obvious humor, or if it wants to play it straight. Everyone feels like they are in a different movie, even Stanfield. He seems to be reckoning with the tonal shifts as well.
The audio description, produced by The Media Access group, and narrated by Adrienne Barbeau, is keeping one tone the whole time, and that tone really is Adrienne’s usual tone. She’s great on many things, but I rarely hear her on comedies. So when the film leans in on the drama, it works best. but, Media Access Group typically produces well mixed, well recorded tracks, that are written with the focus in mind of giving us as much information as possible. With a broad cast, this track does that. It actually blends everything together, this massive cast, and tonal shift insanity, and makes it coherent.
I think Jean Samuel is one of the more talented new directors out there, and I’m deeply interested in the choices he makes and his ability to attract top talent. Stanfield gives a decent performance here, and the supporting cast is notable, but ultimately this film can’t decide just how funny, or what kind of funny it wants to be.
Final Grade: B-
