The career of Romany Malco has been one of constant evolution. After successfully making the transition from rapping to acting, Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison offers the next transition for Malco – feature film writing and directing. Tijuana Jackson is a mockmentary that follows the title character’s post-prison journey as he dreams of becoming a world-renown motivational speaker. Does Malco prove talented enough to pull off the ambitious actor-writer-director trifecta or should he stick to his day job?
In front of the camera, Malco makes good on his first lead role since his Hollywood breakthrough with what might be the best performance of his career. The comedic chops aren’t surprising given how well-versed Malco is in that area. The pleasantly unexpected element of Malco’s performance is how he makes Tijuana more than the film’s running joke. While it’s easy to make fun of Tijuana’s appearance and various blunders, Malco commands an empathy that makes the character easy to root for and inspirational in a sense.
However, the film’s most impressive performance comes from Regina Hall. As Cheryl, Tijuana’s former high school classmate and current probation officer, Hall exhibits the kind of range that emphasizes she is an incredible talent. When Cheryl has the opportunity to let her guard down, Hall is hilariously reminiscent of her characters from the Scary Movie series. Contrastingly, Hall brings a gravity comparable to her dramatic scenes in 2018’s Support the Girls when Cheryl has to view Tijuana as just another offender. The only drawback to Hall’s performance is that there isn’t enough of it due to limited screen time.
Malco’s work behind the camera as writer and director isn’t perfect, but he gets a lot right. His ability to craft a script that uses comedy as the draw to tell a more profound, substantive story is chief among those rights. Tijuana’s delusions of grandeur, less than fashionable wardrobe, and list of mantras are what attract you to the film. His journey toward doing his best to prove he is more than a criminal despite the repeated encounters self-created and systematic roadblocks is what makes you stay. When Tijuana Jackson removes its comedic mask, Malco’s script provides a sobering look at the odds parolees face in rebuilding their lives and its impact on their families.
As a director, Malco does a stable job for someone who is helming a film for the first time. Tijuana Jackson has the authentic feel of an amateur documentary complete with unsteady camera work and the type of live events that no one can script. Other than the way too long introduction of Tijuana as he prepares for release from prison, Malco handled the film’s pacing like someone well beyond their first time in the director’s chair.
The thing that keeps Malco’s behind the camera debut from being a home run is the comedy. This surprising because Malco built his acting career in comedic films with a few classics on his resume. A few jokes land, but an overwhelming majority, including the prison sex/rape and slang interpreter jokes, miss because they are predictable or they didn’t age well. This misfire makes it feel as if Tijuana Jackson would have been better off as a dramatic film.
The final verdict on Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison comes down to where the viewer’s expectations lie. If the hope is for a laugh per minute comedy, you won’t make it through the first 30 minutes because the jokes are dated and repetitive. Alternatively, there’s a much better film to be seen here through the lens of a character study. That film gives you outstanding acting performances, surprisingly good work from a first-time writer and director, and a story that genuinely represents purpose over prison.
On what media is this showing? Netflix?
Gonna have to check this mockmentary out lol. Thanks for the read!