Movie Review: My Wife and I

Director: Bunmi Ajakaiye

Writer: Chinaza Onuzo

Cast: Ramsey Nouah, Omoni Oboli, Ngozi Nwosu, Rachel Oniga, Bolanle Ninalowo, Jemima Osunde, Dorcas Shola Fapson and Sambasa Nzeribe

Year 2017

Most Nigerian filmmakers have come to terms with the fact that your average Nigerian cinema goer will only see a Nollywood movie if, it promises a  good laugh. “My Wife and I”  promises extreme amusement and delight. From over the top posters to a gripping trailer, Nollywood fans were eager to catch the latest comedy.

For her first feature, Bunmi Ajakaye chooses a debut with comedy and uses an unusual storyline of body swapping in “My Wife and I” to win a top spot at the box office

“My Wife and I” is the story of Toyosi (Ramsey Nouah) and Ebere (Omoni Oboli), while they have the perfect careers, their family is crumbling and they are on the brink of a divorce.  Their children are exhausted and cannot stand the situation at home, and their parents also share in this exhaustion. When they consider a divorce, their parents reject the idea wholly and suggest spiritual interference rather. Ngozi Nwosu who plays Ebere’s mother convinces her daughter to attend to their marital problems by visiting a pastor, and when they do this, their unusual pastor uses his strange spiritual mechanism to pray for them, and the aftermath of this is that they wake up with swapped bodies.  Ebere in Toyosi’s body, and Toyosi in Ebere’s body! This forces them to adapt to each other’s life.

The film offers the type of experiment that is rarely executed in Nollywood. We enjoy the writer and director’s invention to the suspension of disbelief, while also exploring the idea of marriage and its struggles. There are scenes that are tailored to make the viewer laugh and there are those that go overboard. Specifically, a scene where Toyosi has no idea what a sanitary pad is. Every married man should know what a sanitary pad is, even unmarried men do, comedy or not, it was strange to see Toyosi acting confused on the topic.

This is the-first-of-its-kind comedy in Nigeria and it features Ramsey Nouah and Omoni Oboli.  Ramsey Nouah, presents a  different image with this character, and it is a delight watching him.

Omoni Oboli is known for writing and directing comedic features which she also stars in, she complements Ramsey really well, here. In their promo rounds, the co-stars spoke of getting inspiration to adapt to such a complex switch, but there are moments where they let go of these characters that we are supposed to enjoy as being a part of them.

We must warn you, however, that, My Wife and I is a long…long feature that will make you press the demons out of your phone when it starts getting exhausting.  Deep within its show time, the story loses its direction, and it picks up again, but… once the viewer’s attention is lost, it can be difficult to get that attention again.