The Excellence and Flaws of Tradition told in a well known story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, then the other shoe drops: family drama. Families marry each other. However, this one highlights how the flaws in tradition, cause cognitive dissonance, when it frowns on people we love.
In comparison to most Nigerian scripts, this was a well written familiar story, and the star-studded cast delivered on some levels. Bimbola Ademoye’s raw acting talent shines through as usual. Shaffy Bello remains an entertaining watch. Veteran Actor Kalu Ikeagwu has always pulled off the brooding role, but he shows enviable acting chops as the Chief, Leader, and Ruler of the home while being multi-dimensional. He has a certain welcoming warmth, tear-jerking humility, and understanding many children yearn for in a father. The dynamic in his marriage is thought-provoking though. It makes one really think about the strong and unquestionably dominant silent personality type. Our three year old superstar actor- Jedida Joe James (Jayden), was nothing short of brilliant. Timini Egbuson still has miles to go with his acting, but he was believable in a few scenes.
Yes, some chaotic fight scenes and the climax scene could be fine tuned somewhat. But they did the job. It is still a predictable watch, but very enjoyable. The only unrealistic part (for Nigerians) is how things got sorted out. We do not usually settle things that way, but hey- it is still a movie inspired by the Nigerian reality.
So 7 stars for not going over the top unnecessarily, allowing for character depth and growth, and just giving us a feel good movie. A solid watch for anyone who wants to merge their Nigerian roots with the modern times.
