Title: ALL THAT GLITTERS (1 & 2)
Starring: Grace Johnson, Alexx Ekubo, Ini Edo, Uru Eke, Perez Egbi
Synopsis:
An unemployed man finally lands a job that promises to enhance life for his family but instead his marriage goes downhill when he becomes intimately involved with a co-worker.
Review:
Ini and Collins have been together for ten years. When Collins (Alexx Ekubo) was unemployed, Ini (Grace Johnson) stepped up to the plate and took care of the bills, maintained the house, and raised their two boys. Collins finally landed a job with a prosperous company after a long search.
As Collins became acclimated in a key position with the firm, his wife and her African lifestyle became less attractive. He allowed himself to become intimately involved with a co-worker and he eventually left his wife for the “other woman.”
The novelty of the new relationship wore off fairly quickly when Collins realized his new girlfriend didn’t cook and he found himself eating bread and butter for dinner. The sexual relationship also waned and he eventually lost his job due to a few mistakes.
Soon after, his new girlfriend dumped him because without a job she considered him to be a liability. All alone and feeling like a fish out of water, Collins attempted to get his wife back.
Let’s Talk. “All That Glitters” is about infidelity and although it doesn’t offer a new twist on a common theme it’s still engrossing enough to watch.
Collins got “too big for his britches” when he finally got a job and he made the mistake of believing that the “grass was greener.” He met an educated woman at work and forgot that the reason his wife wasn’t educated was because she dropped out of school to give birth to his son. But Ini wasn’t blameless because she let herself go during the marriage. She no longer cared how she looked, didn’t get proper grooming, and Collins was no longer attracted to her.
The movie has a similar theme to the Ghana movie titled “Secret Burden” which raised the question of whether women should keep themselves attractive for their husbands or for themselves. Would it have been acceptable if Ini cheated on Collins because he was no longer handsome and had grown a potbelly? What’s your opinion?
As for performances Grace Johnson and Alexx Ekubo were front burner and their performances were believable for the most part. Alexx Ekubo gave a relaxed performance and there were scenes where he should have shown more emotion. The reasons that motivated his change in attitude was not clear but this may be a writing issue and not that of the actor, however there needed to be more of a visual transition from one level of thinking to the next. Since the “other woman” appeared to be “americanized” the writers should have focused a little more on her influence on Collins.
In terms of star power, Ini Edo was billed as the star OF the movie but she was more the star IN the movie because she played a very small role.
In this case “All that Glitters’ turns out to be gold because this is a fairly decent flick. RECOMMEND
- Rated: Not Rated
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 2013
- Directed by: Tom Robson
- Starring: Ini Edo, Alexx Ekubo, Perez Egbi, Grace Johnson, Uru Eke, Meg Otanwa, Diana Yekini
- Written by: Rita C. Onwurah, Uduak Isong Oguamanam, Bola Aduwo
- Studio: Royal Arts Academy
- Country: Nigeria