Starring: Van Vicker, Chet Anekwe, Carl Payne, Clarice Ford-Kulah, Sarah Spicer

Synopsis:  

A U.S. attorney and a Nigerian guy coincidently meet on a weekend retreat and develop a special bond. 

Review:

Tunde (Van Vicker) was a doctor in Nigeria before he relocated to the U.S. for a better life. He wasn’t licensed to practice in the states so he took a job as a janitor. He was stuck in a marriage to Rose (Sarah Spicer) who he married in order to obtain a green card. Little did he know she had an agenda of her own.

In another storyline, Alechi (Clarice Kulah) is a partner at a law firm and life appeared grand but behind closed doors she was a victim of domestic abuse. Apparently, her husband suffered from mental illness and constantly accused her of cheating on him.

Both Tunde and Alechi took a “time out” from their lives and they met for the first time at a weekend retreat. The two quickly confided in each other and developed a close friendship.   

Let’s Talk. This is a drama where two people meet, become acquainted and then it turned romantic.  At fifty-three minutes of watching this movie I still didn’t know where the story was headed. That’s a long time to wait for direction.

The writing was amateur and it seemed like the writer wanted to explain everything. Even at the end there was dialogue about “when one door closes…” and we had to hear that line about three times. We get it. When one door closes another one opens. It isn’t exactly news.

The story was also confusing because one minute Tunde’s American wife was upset when she learned of his Nigerian wife but then we learned she had ulterior motives for marrying him. Which one was it? If she had secret plans then she shouldn’t have cared if he had a wife in Africa. But of course, this aspect was just thrown in so his U.S wife would have motive for divorce and therefore have a reason to see an attorney which, turned out to be Alechi – Tunde’s new confidant/girlfriend. Sigh…

Marriage for the purpose of a green card is common in America. It was mentioned in the story that Rose, a U.S. citizen, was paid $5,000 to marry Tunde. At first she claimed she wanted to “help out” but then in the same breath she admitted that she needed the money.  Now let’s think about this. Five thousand dollars. Let’s say it takes Tunde a year to get his green card. That means that Rose was paid less than $100 a week to marry Tunde. Is this worth it?

Clearly only a financially challenged person would do such a thing and at the end of the process you’d still be broke AND married to someone you barely know. A life altering transaction such as this calls for life changing money!! I’m certainly not encouraging illegal activity but I’m just sayin’….

So, overall the story was lackluster and felt forced. Every situation in the story was just too convenient. There were a few dramatic scenes but for the most part the story was bland. Also, at the end, Tunde was magically free of his wife in Nigeria so he could wind up with Alechi. 

Performances? The first thing I noticed about the movie was that the support cast wasn’t strong enough. The rapport between Alechi and her friends felt empty. They seemed to be just reciting their lines and pretending they were good friends.

Clarice Ford-Kulah is one of the writers of the movie and she also played the part of Alechi. Here’s the problem; some writers cast themselves in the part that they want instead of the part that they’re right for. Her chemistry with Chet was okay but it was all wrong with Van Vicker. I didn’t believe them as a couple for a second or their fake happily ever after ending.

The better performers were Chet Anekwe, Van Vicker, and Carl Payne. Chet took a walk on the wild side and played an abusive/mentally ill, husband. Van Vicker had a good scene when his character realized the people he trusted were playing him. Carl Payne is a seasoned U.S. actor and it shows.

It seems that Sky+Orange Productions (Van Vicker) is on a mission. They’re bridging the gap between Hollywood and the African movie industry and that’s fantastic. Recording artists collaborate so why not the movie industry?

The production was shot in the U.S. and the filmmakers managed to find nice locations and evidently their equipment was top notch because the cinematography and sound was great.

Sky+Orange Productions has two more things to accomplish – great stories and better actors. I will continue to support their endeavors and purchase their movies because I believe in their potential and I support the industry. It’s just a matter of finding the right script and pairing it with the right talent. And if they believe in the title of this movie, then the right opportunities will come knocking.

To conclude, I can appreciate the educational aspects where it touched on mental illness, physical abuse, and immigration matters but unfortunately the story, or lack of one, was disappointing. EJECT

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