With story written by Bimbo Ademoye (also starring as Folasade) and screenplay by herself & two others, this movie titled “To Be A Friend” is directed by Great Val Edochie and produced by Grace Onyia. The movie is currently streaming on Bimbo Ademoye’s YouTube channel with same name.

SYNOPSIS: (MAY contain spoilers) 

Folasade (Bimbo Ademoye), Tunde (Kunle Remi) and Tega (Deyemi Okanlawon) attended same University. Whilst Tega was attracted to & had a huge crush on Folasade during those undergraduate days, he was however almost invisible to her as she fancied his friend Tunde instead.

Many years passed and we’re taken through a tunnel of happenings via a voiceover. Is there light at the end of this tunnel? Well, to find out, why not grab yourself some popcorn 

 and or favourite drink, munch, sip along as you follow events unfold in this drama with a runtime of 1hour 46minutes.

MY TAKE:
This movie had HIGH PROSPECTS especially given the cast line up. It did live up to that expectation as per role delivery and performance. But that’s about how much credit I can give the movie as the plot started to experience a steady decline after the first few scenes.

Although the story is good (even though not entirely fresh or new), the plot is however as weak as my last fried overripe plantain (dodo). Direction too didn’t help matters much. Continuity was also flawed.

Interesting for how it was meant to be, sadly, this was heavily marred by flaws and loopholes that even my 6-year old can see through. See, this movie had me asking too many questions that could make up a whole Jamb question paper.

Heaven knows I tried many a time to excuse several errors but they were too obvious to ignore. I know someone’s already like “Lizzy has come again!” 

 Please, relax, let me talk you through it:

OBSERVATION/QUESTIONS:
1. The casting director had no business, in my opinion casting different actors for a younger version of the three lead actors (Bimbo, Deyemi & Kunle) especially because we are looking at a period of 15years FROM UNIVERSITY DAYS. People rarely change that dramatically or drastically in THAT space of time. A little costuming or makeup would have done the trick. The younger casting would have made more sense if it was a flashback for people in their upwards of 50s or 60s. In all honesty though, I will give it to them as per the resemblance of Kunle Remi’s younger version to himself. That was apt. Still maintain my stand regardless.

2. The maths here was not really mathing in my viewpoint. First, Fola said she was about 6 weeks pregnant. Next, we see 9 months later on the screen. Did she carry the pregnancy for 10months? Okay let’s just say she did for a full 40weeks gestational period. If she did, that part was rushed off like the couple’s relationship leading up to their wedding as we only got to see ginormous wedding photos on the wall. Same thing happened in “BROKEN HALLELUJAH”

3. Speaking of maths, how was their child Abidemi looking like a one to two year old during the couple’s FIVE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY? Also, TWO YEARS after that (making it SEVEN YEARS IN TOTAL), we see Abidemi still looking almost same! What a load of malarkey!!! 

 Now, to make the mistake in this particular casting even more glaring, in the end credit of this movie, we only see in the list ‘baby Abidemi,’ ‘1-year old Abidemi’ and ‘4-year old Abidemi’ who was shown during the seventh year!!! 

4. There were inconsistencies or head scratchers; making one confused in some parts. The movie starts with a flashback 15years back. We see how the friends turned out in 10years in that time. Next, there’s a 5year anniversary celebration. After that, someone says they’ve been held in jail for 2years. My question is “isn’t this supposed to sum up to 17years altogether?” Or did I miss something? 

 Someone, please help!

5. There was no reason to have used all that popular faces for those roles. It ripped a viewer like myself off of the suspense and intrigue. For instance, seeing Uzor Arukwe in jail with Deyemi gave off the fact that he’d be instrumental in some sort of prison break. Also, seeing Kunle Remi as the friend also gave him off as a tool for betrayal. This then made the movie too predictable thereby losing the essential enjoyability element.

6. Don’t even get me started on the supposed plot twist that gave itself away from miles away? 

 Or should we talk about a whole University’s convocation day looking like a matriculation day? 

7. Uzor Arukwe’s character was unnecessarily delayed to a frustrating degree. Just when I had begun thinking to myself midway through the movie if he was ever gonna show up, boom, he came from no where. I wish there had been a sub plot of his character and his backstory pari passu the main story the whole time till we get to see a meeting point.

8. There was ZERO CHEMISTRY & poor emotion build up between the female lead (Fola) and the two other male leads (Tunde & Tega). That part felt off. What transpired between Fola & Tunde after they graduated? Did they have a relationship prior or not? Did they also lose contact? 

 This part wasn’t explained or did I miss it? 

9. There was no Body found. Now on what basis was an arrest made bikonu? From a blood stain that matches a supposed body? Oh puuuuleeeease!!! 

 Those police officers got me upset. Like, who does that!!!

10. Tunde had ulterior motives yet released 14million naira for charity at the request from Tega. Okay, Tega’s company was doing that well, yet he couldn’t afford, neither did we see any quality lawyer representing him to at least press for a trial? Let’s just say the movie is in a futuristic Nigeria where the rich are also easily oppressed cos kini?

11. What in the world of a Michael Scofield prison break was all that? 

 All those scenes had me rolling my eyes till I was almost becoming dizzy. Was that a performance for a primary school drama club or what? 

12. There were also some very poor lines: “The nerdy guy from school whose best friend was the hottest guy from school”? REALLY??? 

 That was unnecessary given what we saw in the throwback!

13. No shades to anyone but the voiceover in this movie ain’t the best on the block. To some viewers, it would come off as boring.

14. How’s that prison setting looking like a Nollywood movie from 1995? 

See, there’s more but let’s just stop here. 

Conclusively, some viewers may find this movie to be their best yet. And yes there were some really good comic or hilarious moments. It however didn’t particularly do it for me as much as I had hoped. There are some lessons to learn here nonetheless in that “YOU CAN’T FORCE LOVE”. If a person doesn’t love you, then they don’t love you. Put in the Nigerian parlance, “if it didn’t dey, my brother, it didn’t dey!”

Regrettably, had they given more attention to details, the outcome here would have been much nicer.