The
movie Mum, Dad meet Sam premiered at the Genesis Cinema Whitechapel on Saturday
6th December 2014. Prominent on the red carpet were Joseph Benjamin,
Helen Gold, HRH Theodora Ibekwe- Oyebade and Chief Ayo Oyebade, Malcolm Benson,
Tiyike Alayande, DJ Abass, Danny Erskine, Florence Blaster Okonkwo,Nonso Nwaiwu
cast and crew of the movie amongst others. Also showing support and appearing
were Nollywood Prolific Director Obi Emenloye, Producer Sollins Archie-Pearce
and TV Presenter and fashionista Mary Shittu.
Storyline:
Josiah Abiola is at the peak of his career. The
only thing left is to find the perfect girl to settle down with. Samantha Smith is stunning, intelligent and perfect. They meet and
fall in love. They might just be perfect for each other. He decides to take her
home to meet his family in Nigeria.
What is supposed to be a
special occasion turns out to be their worst nightmare. Throw in a cocktail of
a devious ex-girlfriend, an over protective, overdramatic mother, and the fact
that Sam is English and you have a recipe for an explosive and disastrous
encounter ripe with awkwardness and hilarity.
I must confess that this was
comedy at its best. The storyline again is one that should really be told. It
reflects the ancient ways of thinking (which still happens today) of how
mothers are protective of their children and a Nigerian man marrying a white
lady was a no no. The storyline was clear right from the beginning to the end
and the viewers like myself were in no doubt as to what was happening. I
commend the script writer. Nollywood is a developing industry and the stories
being told need to be relevant. This was not only a relevant story, but was
also humorous.
Cast:
The movie showcased
Joseph Bemjamin, A Dot Comedian, Daniella Down, Helen Gold, Anthony Ofoegbu,
Edith Nwekenta, HRH Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade amonst others. The movie was
written and produced by Segilola Ogidan,
Edith Nwekenta and Directed by Tony Sebastian Ukpo.
In my view, there was a good balance in the cast. A Dot the
Comedian playing Fola made the movie more comical, playing the role of a
typical loud Nigerian man in London. Joseph Benjamin playing Josiah played (and
very well too) the role of an obedient son, there was Helen Gold playing the
typical Nigerian mother, Edith Nwekenta playing Morenike the typical ex and
jealous girlfriend, Daniella Down playing the role of a gullible Sam. I believe
the entire cast understood the script and complimented one another. I give
kudos to the Director for ensuring the cast told the story appropriately but at
the same time not losing the elements of comedy.
Picture
Quality: Picture quality in some scenes were
not too good. An example was at the Lagos airport. Overall, the picture quality was
good but not excellent and as a reviewer and critic for such a good film, I
would like to see a use of more 21st century images. The use of a
professional cinematographer would have taken the film to the highest pedestal.
However, as with most Nollywood movies, funding may have been an issue, but
personally, I would like to see greater images in future productions.
Sound Quality: At the beginning of
the movie, the sound for mum was
a bit distant. Also, the sound at the Lagos airport was not too good. In some
cases, Fola seemed to be far from mic and ended up shouting. I know his role
was to be a loud person, but if he was closer to the mic or if the sound was
very good, there would have been elements of control in my view that would not
have made it look as if he was shouting.
Overall
performance: The house that was
meant to be in Lagos, was obviously in London. Lagos is a hot country and they
do not need heaters to keep warm as it is naturally hot, rather they need air conditioners
to keep cool. The Director may not have noticed, but good as the house was, we
kept seeing heaters!!
I also did not realise that Murtala
Muhammed Airport in Lagos had a car park as depicted in the movie. Obviously
scenes depicted as being in Lagos were obviously shot in London or in the UK. I
know that part of the movie was shot in Lagos, the market scene. The Director
should have made efforts to ensure that they got locations in Lagos to shoot
the Airport scene and the house in Lagos.
Also as a reviewer and
critic, I must be picky especially when the movie was so good. Mum prepared
cooked food for her son and packed it into his luggage for him to eat. It was
not clear where he was going to eat the food, bur definitely not when he got to
London as the food would be spoilt Just a little thought!!The movie was very
comical with the entire cast contributing.
The final question I always
ask as a reviewer and critic is if I would recommend the movie. Without blink
in an eye or thinking twice about it, the answer is a categorical YES. The good thing about this movie is
that anyone from any part of the world can watch and follow the story. It was
comical and the truth is that it was a 2 hours well spent. I would recommend
and I do not do this often that this movie should be shown in cinemas around
the world. With good marketing, I believe that it would be a hit and would do
the Nollywood industry proud.
All that is left for me to
say is a big well done to the cast and crew of the movie, all the time that was
spent on making the movie was well spent. Just to be clear, I would pay for an
evening out with my wife to go watch this movie if it ever comes to the cinemas
in the UK. Well done!!
Watch
the trailer:
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