Starring: Iretiola Doyle, Dakore Egbuson, Omoni Oboli, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Wale Ojo, Bimbo Manuel

Synopsis:

Four women on the brink of turning fifty take the term “midlife crisis” to new heights.

Review:

The lives of four friends embarked upon a fork in the road. Tola (Dakore Egbuson) was a reality star but reality behind the camera was family secrets and a cheating husband. Lizzy (Iretiola Doyle) was a professional in the medical field but she had an affinity for younger men and a daughter who resented her for it. 

Kate (Nse Ikpe-Etim) was frustrated with her husband’s “get rich quick” schemes while she secretly battled an illness. Lastly, Maria (Omoni Oboli) celebrated her fiftieth birthday and was shocked to learn that she was pregnant. 

Trailer Courtesy of EbonyLife Films

Let’s Talk. Fifty. No, not the notorious rapper, but four women that hailed age 50 as the new 40…or was that 25? It’s a multi-layered story that showcased affluent, professional, characters that were distracted by disgrace and dilemmas. 

Each situation unraveled in increments, which cleverly increased the appetite. The production was a welcome change from village life and scene transitions allowed a glimpse of middle-class neighborhoods as well as trendy fashion. The issues were typical and ranged from sexual abuse to adultery and at times the drama felt like a ritzy soap opera.

One of the storylines was about an older woman/younger man love affair and the filmmakers clearly didn’t endorse the term “cougar.” But the question remains whether younger men take older women seriously and judging from this movie they don’t.  

What the movie accomplished was to provoke the realism of turning fifty. Is fifty a life sentence or is life just beginning? If we live to our full potential, it’s one half of our lives. Is the second half a second chance?

Those who have lived to see fifty know that it’s a blessing from up above. With each year comes wisdom and as we saw from this story, scandal can strike at any age. 

The casting was perfect which, included an ensemble of talented women along with musical performances and cameos. The main characters were sophisticated women that kept it real and were portrayed well. 

Fifty. A milestone. A blessing. An honor. RECOMMEND