disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

TUSCALOOSA -- A Generic Romantic Dramedy Saved by Charming Lead Actors

3/13/2020

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
(L-R) Devon Bostick as Billy and Natalia Dyer as Virginia in the drama, “TUSCALOOSA,” a Cinedigm release. Photo Courtesy of Cinedigm.
Based on the novel of the same name by Glasgow Phillips, Tuscaloosa is a new romantic dramedy film set in the Vietnam War-era Alabama. Yet despite the wealth of interesting ideas that the movie contains, it often feels like the film falls victim to trying to condense too much material into a single feature-length movie.

The film follows a recent college graduate with social ambitions as he finds his life uprooted when he falls in love with a patient suffering from multiple personality disorder at the mental institution owned by his father. Ultimately, the movie’s unique premise feels wasted on a generic and trope-laden narrative.

Additionally, the film’s character development is very weak. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the movie is that the main female character is a simple “manic pixie dream girl”. She has very little purpose in the narrative other than to push the male protagonist to greater development. The film easily could have been more effective if she had an arc.

As for the protagonist, he does have an arc, and that arc is sympathetic, but it brings very little new material to the table. This story has been told a million times before in a million different forms, and in ways that explore similar themes with more depth and emotion. Other versions of a similar story have been much more compelling.
Picture
(L-R) Devon Bostick as Billy, Marchant Davis as Nigel, and Natalia Dyer as Virginia in the drama “TUSCALOOSA,” a Cinedigm release. Photo Courtesy of Cinedigm.
One of the reasons why the movie is so disappointing is that there are so many hints of potential in the script. For example, one subplot involving a social activist that the main characters cross paths with is intriguing, but gets far too little screen time. The rest of the film’s social awareness comes in the form of clunky expositional dialogue.

Devon Bostick does a solid job in his role, bringing the charisma of the leading man character to the movie. Bostick’s personality is the main thing that allows this film to be watchable despite the many flaws in the script. Natalia Dyer gives an interesting performance as well, but there are some questionable aspects of her portrayal of the character’s condition.

On a technical level, the movie feels far too safe. The cinematography and lighting of the film feel far too bright and jubilant for the movie’s own good. Oversaturation is common, and many of the most annoying romantic comedy tropes are present too. It is obvious that the film wants to be more than it is, but the production values do it no favors.

Tuscaloosa is a generic and sometimes even outright unlikable romantic dramedy. Although the premise has a lot of promise, very little about the movie ends up paying off other than the charisma and chemistry of the leads.

Tuscaloosa is now in theaters and on VOD.

Rating: 1.5/5

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About