Writer/director Yannis Zafeiriou makes his feature-length debut with Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story. Co-writer Josh Allen Goldman stars as Tucker, who, at the start, has just transplanted to Los Angeles from New York City to follow his dream of being an actor. The young man decides to stream his adventures getting auditions and callbacks. However, Tucker never told his wealthy family that he moved. This intentional slight makes his stern father cut him off, meaning Tucker needs a roommate and to figure out how to make this whole acting thing pay quickly.
The problem is that Tucker is an imbecile. He has no sense of boundaries, is very selfish, and doesn’t see any red flags when he meets his manager poolside because she’s “between offices.” But Tucker does have people who believe in him, including the slightly dodgy manager, Erin (Noelle Messier). There’s also Tucker’s best friend, Brendan (Dylan Rourke), an aspiring director. Things start to look up when Tucker lands the lead in an indie film, which leads him to a big role in a sci-fi take on Richard Nixon’s life. But he blows it big time when streaming drunk. Can the production be saved? Is Tucker a good enough actor to make him worth all the trouble?
Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story is shockingly heartfelt. Yes, the film is not above poking fun at the lead’s absurd thoughts and denseness. But what makes Tucker different than the moronic lead of The Invite (the 2022 indie comedy, not the remake of the Spanish film) is that Tucker comes across as sincere. He’s dumb and annoys those around him, sure, but he cares for his craft and is good to his friends. Basically, Tucker is his authentic self for most of the film. While yes, he goes on a journey to discover himself (no spoilers), some things remain constant even then.
“…his stern father cut him off, meaning Tucker needs a roommate and to figure out how to make this whole acting thing pay quickly.”
That is, in part, because Goldman is very good at the role he helped craft for himself. The actor knows exactly how far to push the more obnoxious traits so that viewers understand how and why he turns directors, producers, and fellow actors off throughout. But he is also aware that going too far in that direction would mean that everyone watching would hate the protagonist. As such, he reins it in and makes the character sweet when it matters. That is a delicate balancing act to maintain for 100 minutes, but Goldman pulls it off without any issues.
Rourke is tons of brash fun. He is energetic and comes across with the right amount of sleaze and charm. Messier is fantastic, playing angry yet understanding with the right amount of both. Ryan Vigilant plays Crispin, Tucker’s older brother. The role is the straight man to all the comedic chaos this on-screen sibling causes. The actor deadpans perfectly. Tucker’s young sister, Juliet, is played by Crystal Yaskulski. She’s so enthusiastic and such a hype person that she makes audience members root for Tucker’s success all on her own.
Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story is an absurd look at life in Hollywood, for sure. But absurd does not mean wrong. There are Tuckers out there — brash, overly confident, slightly talented — who believe that one role means they own the town. The filmmakers here just turn that personality up to 11 and let the wild narrative and comedic situations play out organically. This is one of the funniest looks at filmmaking since The Player.
"…turn that personality up to 11 and let the wild narrative and comedic situations play out organically."
