the wedding party

Have you ever watched a movie, seen the supposed villain and thought to yourself, “Damn, I sort of agree with this person”? Yes, I’ve been there too.

Sure, some of these “villains” do crazy shit like rituals here and there, but what happened to looking at things from everyone’s point of view? As someone who’s watched an unhealthy amount of them since birth, I decided to show you the real villain in some of your fave Nollywood films.

Aníkúlápó

Yes, I said it. While Saro (Kunle Remi) might be the living embodiment of a Yoruba demon, he lived the Abuja sweet boy life as a sugar baby and fashion designer before Queen Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye) came and blew everything up. Remember Arolake was the one who suggested they run away together. The moral of the story: avoid married women and know peace.

The Wedding Party

Getting robbed and having your ex show up at your wedding is one thing, but running out of amala on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life? Haba. All the drama in Kemi Adetiba’s The Wedding Party could’ve been avoided if Dozie (Banky W) and Dunni (Adesua Etomi)’s parents didn’t plan an elaborate party to outdo one another. Nigerians need to look into smaller weddings by the beach or something.

Egg of Life

The fact that an entire village thought it was cool to send seven teenage girls into the evil forest in search of one boiled egg to save their prince is still wild to me. Seven lives for one? It’s giving misogyny. It’s giving the silencing of female voices. All of you in that village will crumble.

Living in Bondage: Breaking Free

I’m sorry, but you can’t join a cult where they’re wearing red robes and sacrificing people and then be shocked when they ask you to bring the head of someone you love. What did Nnamdi Okeke (Swanky JKA) from Living in Bondage: Breaking Free think the cult would ask for? Beyoncé’s Renaissance visuals? Be fucking for real, sir. We can’t blame the cult leader (Ramsey Nouah) when Nnamdi used his hand to register like it was JAMB.

Glamour Girls (The Remake)

Someone needs to beg Charles Okpaleke to free Old Nollywood. The remakes of Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Aki and Paw Paw stressed me, but Glamour Girl is the straw that has broken my 30+ back. Charles, enough is enough.

RECOMMENDED: Nollywood Keeps Doing Remakes, So We Ranked Them From Best to Worst

Isoken

Osaze (Joseph Benjamin) might’ve been so controlling that he pushed Isoken (Dakore Akande) into the arms of a coloniser. But let’s face it, Mummy Isoken (Tina Mba) was the real villain of this story. Is it a crime to be a single woman (and a successful one at that) in Lagos? You’d think Isoken needed a man to enter heaven with how her mother was on her neck to get married. Sorry ma, but like The Pussycat Dolls said:

Blood Sister

Did Esther (Genevieve Nnaji) kill her sister, Gloria (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde), to marry her husband (Tony Umez)? Yes. But the last time I checked, she didn’t force the man. In other Nollywood films, the female character has to rely on juju to trap a man’s destiny. But Kenneth, in true Tony Umez fashion, willingly sashays into his sister-in-law’s panties. A shameless man, for real.

Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story

Ahanna (Stan Nze) starts a robbery gang, steals from a rich ass-man then abandons his gang to start a new life in a different city. And I’m supposed to see Ali Mahmood (Nobert Young) as the villain? No, this doesn’t sit right with my inner spirit. Ahanna was the bad guy in this film. His ex (Osas Ighodaro) should’ve shot him instead of his wife.

Man of God

Man of God‘s Samuel Obalolu is a scammer who starts a church to steal people’s money and cheat on his wife in a way that pleases God. But let’s not forget his father was also a pastor who verbally and physically abused him as a child. The fact that Samuel’s return to his abuser is framed as a prodigal son going back home still keeps me up at night. Ewww.

Chief Daddy 2

Do I even have to elaborate? EbonyLife has apologised for this film, so they know they were the problem, not Laila (Rahama Sadau).

Games Women Play

I grew up thinking Candice (Genevieve Nnaji) was the villain of this film for betting that her friend (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) couldn’t seduce her man (Desmond Elliot). Still, just like in real life, Desmond Elliot is the villain here. Only a man who wants to be snatched can be snatched, and that’s facts. If Desmond Elliot’s Temisan loved Candice, no amount of seduction would’ve worked on him. Men will always disgrace you, sha.

ALSO READ: How to Avoid Being Used For Rituals, According to Nollywood

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

March 13, 2023

Movies & TV, Pop

Anikulapo, Glamour girls, Nollywood, Pop, the wedding party
Nollywood and sequels are like five and six. As far back as the 1990s and 2000s, every film had “part one” and “part two”, but the sequels on this list should’ve remained on a hard drive or, better yet, not shot at all.

The Set Up 2

Honestly, no one, and I repeat, no one, asked for this. The first Set Up came out in 2019, and even though it sold itself as this intelligent thriller, it just ended up getting stuck in its own knot of plot twists. While I’d give the first Set Up a “C” for effort, the sequel doesn’t even attempt to be smart like it’s predecessor. The story isn’t fully fleshed out and characters have been added just for vibes and inshallah. The actors and the audience deserved better.

Every AY the comedian destination sequel

The devil works hard, but AY the comedian works harder. Because we laughed a little bit at, not because of, 30 Days in Atlanta, this man has decided to travel to almost every country to create mid films up and down. I tried with 10 Days in Sun City, but by A Trip to Jamaica, my hope and sense had left my body.

The Return of Jenifa

The Return of Jenifa is more of an advert for toothpastes and detergents than a continuation of Suliat’s story. Despite a very Nollywood closing to the original, with Jenifa contracting HIV because she did small runs, Funke Akindele decided to make a sequel that completely disregards the first film’s events.

The annoying part is Jenifa now has a TV show, Jenifa’s Diary and that one doesn’t even act like the films exist.

Chief Daddy 2

It’s hard not to think of Chief Daddy 2 when people say, “Money is the root of all evil,” because securing a fat check is the only reason this evil currently exists on Netflix. Chief Daddy 2 was so bad that Mo Abudu had to put on her bone straight and apologise to Nigerians. If only our politicians could pick a thing or two from Aunty Mo.

RECOMMENDED: Nollywood Keeps Doing Remakes, So We Ranked Them From Best to Worst

Quam’s Money

New Money is one of Inkblot Production’s best work to date, but not even Falz’s exaggerated razz guy accent or Nse Ikpe-Etim’s Ameritish accent could save its sequel, Quam’s Money, from being a hot mess. Unlike New Money which had a fresh story and a lot of heart, Quam’s Money relies on cheap jokes and physical comedy that doesn’t really land. The film struggles harder than Falz’s fake dreads.

Merry Men 2: Another Mission

Someone needs to find out if AY has Ramsey Nouah on tape doing something illegal because I don’t understand how he agreed to be in Merry Men 2: Another Mission. The first Merry Men was deeply uninteresting, and this sequel is all drone shots and no substance. It might as well have been an ad for Eko Hotel, Transcorp Hotel, unconvincing VFX and really bad acting.

The Wedding Party 2

The Wedding Party was a cultural reset, but the sequel tagged “Destination Dubai” took all the magic and diluted it into watery zobo. While Sola Sobowale’s Yoruba mummy extraness and Adesua Etomi’s charm pushed The Wedding Party and made it a fave, the sequel felt like a desperate attempt to milk the audience’s bank account. We should’ve known it was sus the moment they had to hire a different director.

The Ghost and the Tout Too

Toyin Abraham is funny, but not funny enough to make me watch her play the same character twice, especially when the writing falls flat. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Ghost and the Tout, nothing prepared me for how much of a snoozefest The Ghost and the Tout Too would be. And no, throwing Osas Ighodaro into the mix did nothing to make it better.

When Love Happens Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOuA_gHFYe8

Romcoms typically end when the lead character finds love — usually in the arms of someone who’s been right in front of them all along. But for the producers of When Love Happens, the classic ending wasn’t enough.

Instead of leaving one of my favourite Nollywood romcoms alone, these producers decided to make an unhinged and low-budget-looking sequel, When Love Happens Again, set in America. I honestly felt bad for my girl, Weruche Opia.

ALSO READ: 7 Nollywood Ensemble Films that Didn’t Give Us Headaches

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

August 29, 2022

Pop

chief daddy, Nollywood, Pop, The Set Up, the wedding party
If there’s one thing I’m tired of seeing in Nollywood movies, outside of that damn bridge, it’s Lagos as a whole. Yes, we get it, traffic-central is the commercial hub of Nigeria, but what happened to representation, #LivesOutsideLagosMatter.

In the spirit of defiance, I’ve compiled a list of Nollywood romcoms that weren’t set in Lagos. It was a challenging task, but I was able to find these five movies, so you’re welcome.

Up North

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvTVkh1LeLc

Even though we’d seen Banky W in The Wedding Party 1 and 2, Up North was the film that finally showed us he had what it takes to be a Nollywood leading man. Playing the role of a spoiled brat who gets shipped off to NYSC camp up north, Banky W brings a lot of heart and humour to his role.

Up North may have presented Bassey’s (Banky W) budding romance with Mariam (Rahama Sadau) as its love story, but the true story for me is how he falls in love with the city of Bauchi.

The Meeting

Hands down one of my favourite Nollywood films EVER, The Meeting is hilarious, warm and very relatable. With Rita Dominic in one of her best performances on screen, The Meeting follows Makinde Esho (Femi Jacobs) on an unforgettable trip to Abuja, where he has to deal with a larger-than-life secretary and possibly find love along the way.

If you watch The Meeting and don’t spend half of it laughing, find me so we can rack.

RECOMMENDED: 7 Nollywood Ensemble Films that Didn’t Give Us Headaches

Couple of Days

If you loved Tyler Perry’s chaotic Why Did I Get Married, you’d definitely get into Couple of Days. Following a similar premise, we’re introduced to three couples who decide to have a little getaway at their friend’s house in Ibadan.

Couple of Days is more of a romantic drama than a comedy, but some laugh-out moments from Falz lighten it up as we delve into life after all the glitz and glam of a wedding party is over.

Unintentional

If you’ve ever questioned whether getting into a car with a stranger would get you kidnapped, I’m here to tell you to take that risk today (take my advise at your own risk sha). Like the characters in Unintentional, who knows, you might meet the love of your life.

Set in a bus, Toyota Corolla and random hotel in the East, Unintentional follows Seffi (Omowunmi Dada) who, while on a road trip to Imo state for NYSC, runs into Uzo (Efa Iwara), and long story short, sparks fly.

The Wedding Party 2

The first iteration of The Wedding Party will forever remain goated, and on my list of the best ensemble comedies Nollywood has ever produced. After all, every other ensemble comedy has tried to replicate its magic.

While The Wedding Party 2 has a lot of the same Lagos comedy, some parts — especially the romantic bits — happen in Dubai. It features the original cast with some hilarious new actors like Patience Ozokwor and Nkem Owoh.

ALSO READ: The Zikoko Guide to Making a Nollywood Romantic Comedy

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

July 27, 2022

Pop

Nollywood, Romantic comedies, The Meeting, the wedding party
The internet has been dragging Nollywood for a while now, and honestly, we get it. We stepped into a new year with the release of EbonyLife’s biggest hot mess to date, Chief Daddy 2 and as if that wasn’t enough, ThisDay style decided to ring in 2022 with chaos by releasing this magazine cover that had some of our Nollywood faves looking like discount Spartacus.

Nigerians don’t deserve this. We are decent people.

Rebuking this negative energy and cleansing our chakras for the year, we’ve listed out some of the Nollywood ensemble movies that actually worked. We’re not saying they’re perfect, but at least their plots made sense and had direction.

1. King of Boys

In a time where most ensembles focused on weddings or funerals, Kemi Adeitba tried something different, and omo, it actually slapped. It’s one thing to make a Nigerian film with a female villain, and it’s another thing to make the audience fall in love with and root for her. Do we think the film could’ve been shorter? Yes. But we were living for the badass energy Sola Sobowale and Toni Tones gave us. So we can’t complain.

2. Sugar Rush

From Mawuli Gavor being shirtless again for no reason to Banky W wearing a bullet-proof juju trad and an invisible car, this film has everything. It follows the Sugar sisters (Adesua Etomi, Bisola Aiyeola, and Bimbo Ademoye) and the hilarious drama that happens after they stumble upon (not steal) $800,000 from a bunch of criminals and Toke Makinwa in a shiny bone straight. While it might have plot holes the size of Aso Rock, the film still delivers on being funny as hell.

3. Confusion Na Wa

Another movie that focuses on random people strolling into trouble based on greed and amebo is Kenneth Gyang’s Confusion Na Wa. After discovering a phone, two local champions go-ahead to blackmail its owner and then have their lives go to shit simply because they couldn’t unlook. A dark comedy that captures the lives of different people and how they collide over a short period, this film is proof that sometimes, all you need is a good story.

4. When Love Happens

We’ve all seen this plot before. A Nigerian girl with the accent moves back to the country and starts some creative job selling decorated puff-puffs or planning weddings. She complains about not meeting her dream man even though she hasn’t ventured past the third mainland bridge. This leads her to go on a couple of dates with trash Nigerian men and kiss the ex who used her heart to play Super Mario. In the end, she realises that her best friend is the love of her life. Cliché as the plot is, something about Werruche Opia’s performance makes it feel fresh. Hands down one of the best “looking for love in Lagos” films we’ve seen.

5. Ojukokoro

The name of this film is triggering childhood memories we’d like to repress. Urrgh. Directed by Dare Olaitan, this ambitious ensemble has half of young Nollywood in it. While it might seem like a crazy story about a petrol station manager on the surface, Ojukokoro masterfully interweaves the lives of several characters in a way we haven’t seen before. The best part is that almost all the loose ends are tied up by the time the end credits roll. To be clear, this film isn’t perfect. One major thing that stands out is the lack of development for the female characters, especially in a time where the diversity and depths of women are being explored on screen.

6. The Set Up

This film is a visual example of what happens when you put too much pepper in your stew – It will slap in the beginning, but down the line, you’ll start to wonder how you got here. Following Adesua Etomi and Nollywood’s secret weapon, Kehinde Bankole, as Lekki Nikitas, the film pulled us into a messy web of lies, drama and so many flashbacks, we ended up with a headache. Where The Set Up fails at selling its twists, it makes it up with great performances. From Joke Silva bitch slapping Dakore Egbuson to Adesua doing her best Charlie’s Angel impression, we were constantly at the edge of our seats.

7. The Wedding Party

Honestly, this is the film that marked the beginning of the end for Nollywood. Producers and studios saw how Nigerians ate this movie up in 2016 and decided to give us watered-down versions of it year in, year out. A classic in our opinion, The Wedding Party redefined ensemble comedies for Nollywood and sadly, no one has been able to top it since then (not even its sequel). Is it the groom’s ex showing up at the wedding or the fight for superiority between amala and rice? This film showcases all the crazy things that could happen at a typical owambe wedding in Nigeria. It still cracks us up till today.

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

January 8, 2022

Pop

chief daddy, King Of Boys, Nollywood, the wedding party
Undoubtedly, The Wedding Party was LIT!

Sola Sobowale was giving us so much life!
So naturally, this was us when we heard that there was going to be a sequel to The Wedding Party!!!

And here are 5 reasons why we can’t wait for The Wedding Party 2 to come out:
1. Dunni And Dozie are expecting twins!!

Yes! In keeping with the Nigerian tradition to start dropping babies immediately the wedding is over, behind-the-scene images have revealed that Dunni is pregnant! Whoop! Wouldn’t it be perfect if The Wedding Party 2 ended with the delivery? Hello Dunzie Jr!
2. The Wedding Party grossed a record 3.5billion at the box office and we can’t wait to see if The Wedding Party 2 will beat this record!

The Wedding Party remained sold out in cinemas all over the country for weeks after its official release. We can’t wait to see how well the sequel does. Although if all this growing anticipation is anything to go by, we suspect it’ll be a smashing success!
3. We also can’t wait to see if some of that post-engagement chemistry between Banky and Adesua will carry unto the big screen.

If you didn’t know these two are now engaged, you’re slacking and there’s no amount of elastic that can fix it. We can’t wait to troop into the cinema to see if these two are loved up for real, or if all that engagement talk was just publicity for the movie (because we have trust issues).
4. There’s an even bigger and more hilarious cast!

If you thought the cast of The Wedding Party was star-studded, The Wedding Party 2 has an even bigger cast with many returning acts and a few new ones such as Dakore Egbuson Akande, Omoni Oboli, Seyi Law and our one and only ChiGul acting as an Immigration officer!
5. Aand the movie is not out yet but there’s already so much drama!

According to the official synopsis, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai is centred on Dozie’s brother, Nonso (Enyinna Nwigwe), who while on a date with Dunni’s oyinbo friend Deirdre (Daniella Down) – who was crushing on him anyhow in the first movie – somehow managed to propose by accident. How someone proposes by accident we don’t know, but we suppose that’s the suspense these people want to kill us with.
If you too can’t wait to watch The Wedding Party 2 do like this:

And now, if you need help getting into your The Wedding Party vibes, this post should do the trick!
https://zikoko.com/list/8-times-sola-sobowales-acting-gave-us-life-in-the-wedding-party/

Ronke Otega

May 4, 2017

Oldies

Movie, Nollywood, Sequel, the wedding party
1. When her daughter’s wedding dress tore and she was like ‘mo gbe!’

Wedding dress tearing on wedding day, chisooos!
2. When she didn’t know the difference between Efik and Igbo culture, like every Yoruba mother.

Yoruba mother of life!
3. When she couldn’t contain her excitement for her daughter.

Kuku kill all of us.
4. What of when she became paranoid and thought they had kidnapped her daughter?

The action was too much, please.
5. When she and Ali Baba danced and they were the lives of the party.

As it should be.
6. What of when the bride’s family danced in and it was the greatest dance scene ever made?

Hands down everyone’s favourite scene.
7. Also, when she was super extra while she was praying against her enemies.

And we all knew she was subbing the groom’s mother o!
8. And when she started being all mushy with her husband right in the middle of a robbery, like the bosses they are.

Mama the mama!

Shola

January 18, 2017

Oldies

Nigerian Movies, Nollywood, sola sobowale, the wedding party