Tazmanian Devil (2020) Movie Drinking Game
Do a Shot: every time the father gets angry at Dayo.
Take a Drink: every time someone is paddled/hit.
Do a Shot: every time Dayo says more than a sentence in a scene.
Take a Drink: every time the pledges have to do a task for the brothers.
By: Movie Snurb (Four Beers) –
A Nigerian teenager has been accepted to an American university, Arlington Southern University. His father, who left many years prior, is living in Arlington and working as a pastor in the local church. Dayo moves to Arlington and lives with his father. He begins school and is majoring in Engineering. He is enticed into Greek life by the big frat on campus, TAZ. Now he wrestles with keeping a close relationship with his deeply religious father or joining the brotherhood of a fraternity and delving into the American lifestyle.
A Toast
The thing I liked most about this film is the representation of Greek life on a college campus. Most films about fraternities are about hazing and how bad it is, or the terrible side-effects of hazing gone too far. Yes, the hazing is a little much a couple of times in this film, but it is not unrealistic. This film instead focuses on the brotherhood that comes with being in a fraternity and how the same rush class builds a bond through the rush process. Some of my best friends to this day are friends I made in my fraternity; granted I was in a honors fraternity and not a social one, but those bonds are just as strong.
The supporting performances are strong. Most of the supporting actors are much more interesting and give far better performances than the lead. The father’s performance is great with the little material he is given. Many of the fraternity brothers are great, and Dayo’s friend Nicole is fantastic. It’s just a shame the main actor doesn’t give a stronger performance.
Beer Two
Abraham Attah as Dayo gives a really flat performance. Every line delivery is in monotone. Dayo does seem to be more of an observant character like Mason in Boyhood, but at least Ellar didn’t seem bored while he wasn’t talking in Boyhood. Abraham feels like he wants to be anywhere else. Maybe it was bad direction or maybe it was poor choices by Abraham, but either way it made the film feel longer than it was.
Abraham Attah is capable of giving a good performance.
Beer Three
The editing is another reason this 120-minute film felt closer to 3 hours. There were moments that could’ve been removed, and other moments that maybe could’ve been edited better to help the film keep flowing.
Beer Four
I don’t know if the writer just didn’t know what to do with the father, but his part was underwritten. If the premise is Dayo being conflicted between his social life and keeping his relationship with his father strong, there should be more back and forth between both storylines. As the film progresses the father fades farther into the background and the fraternity storyline takes up all of the screentime. Either this was by design because Dayo was slowly drifting away from his father, or they didn’t know what else to write about the father, but he felt underdeveloped.
Verdict
With more attention paid to the father and some better editing and a stronger lead performance this could’ve been a really interesting family/ coming of age drama. Instead it falls flat and is unmemorable.
