Starring: John Dumelo, Yvonne Nelson, Jimmy Jean Louis, Van Vicker, Sarodj Bertin

Synopsis:

A couple travels to Vegas to spice up their relationship but instead gambled their marriage when they were enticed by other people. 

Trailer Courtesy of RVI Motion Media

Review:

James (John Dumelo) and Genie (Yvonne Nelson) came to the end of a court case that required them to be in a witness protection program. Nick (Jimmy Jean Louis) was their assigned bodyguard and during his stay in their home he bonded with James. As Nick taught James self-defense strategies he secretly eyed his wife.  

The marriage between James and Genie was on the rocks and they decided a trip to Vegas would rejuvenate their relationship. They invited Nick along as a gesture of gratitude. 

Once in Vegas, James went to a club with his homeboys and Nick’s desires came true when he slept with Genie. As James straggled to his room drunk later that night, he met Ashley (Sarodj Bertin), and the two had a one-night stand. 

Both women, Genie and Ashley, were pregnant a few months later. Ashley returned to Vegas in search of James (Dumelo) to share the news but he was long gone. Instead she met Nick at the bar and after a brief acquaintance they were in bed together, and some time later, married. 

Nick and James thought they were the biological fathers of their wives pregnancies. The truth surfaced and caused “what happened in Vegas” to become exposed. 

Let’s Talk. This movie employed the common theme of infidelity, was shot in Vegas, music was added, and poof – it became “One Night In Vegas.” Unfortunately, there’s not much here that excites except for the location and some hip tunes. 

The main couple used Vegas as the place to rekindle their marriage but they betrayed each other instead. There’s an additional plot where Mildred (Sahndra Fon Dufe) arranged for her estranged husband to take custody of her kids when she was dying of cancer but there wasn’t enough time devoted to the storyline for it to be effective. 

There were a few over the top moments such as when James pulled a gun on his wife and when Genie’s mother threatened him with a knife. Also absurd was the scene where James was allowed to exit the hospital with confidential documents. 

Here’s what really threw the movie off – the music. Let’s first be clear that the music was good, so good that it seemed to be competing with the movie. The music was actually distracting when it came to the drama. It’s almost as though the filmmakers chose the music that they wanted to exhibit in the movie as opposed to analyzing each scene and determining what music would fit best. At times the music was too fast paced for scenes that required a more mellow type of sound. 

What’s great about the movie is its appeal. It’s a cast is of mixed ethnicities where musicians and actors came together in the name of film. You can hardly tell that it’s an African movie. It has a mainstream vibe that ideally elevates the Nollywood industry from a niche audience to the general market.  

The cinematography sufficed. The filmmakers used exteriors of Vegas for transition shots but there wasn’t much in the way of activity in the casinos, which would have thoroughly captured the essence of Vegas, a place where people vacation and gamble.   

Performances were okay. Koby Maxwell produced and acted and he had a smaller part than he did in his first movie Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark. Van Vicker seemed to be having a good time with his role and Michael Blackson should have played a bigger part.  

To keep it real, “One Night in Vegas” wasn’t all that. The story was about typical relationship drama with no elaborate twists and turns. It was just okay. However, when you look at the movie from the filmmakers’ terms, there’s a different vision. The movie is distributed through major U.S. retailers so it’s safe to assume that their agenda is to introduce Nollywood movies to a broader base.   

Let’s support these gentlemen in expanding Nollywood while we inspire them to make better movies. The recommendation of this movie is not based on content; it’s based on the filmmakers’ endeavors. Sometimes in life we have to see the bigger picture.  RECOMMEND