Producer: Chris Eneng Eneaji
Director: Chris Eneng Eneaji
Screenplay: Nkechi Okere/ Tunde Apalowo
Cast: Rachel Oniga, Kunle Remi, Emem Ufot, Ayo Adesanya, Nazo Ekezie, Bolaji Ogunmola
Year: 2017
For some of us, the numbers of wedding films that have flooded Nollywood over the years have exhausted our patience for any screen offering that has at its center, a wedding. To find a new film about a wedding that does not follow the normal cliché but offers a new experience and pure enjoyment in an unexpected way is worthy of exaltation. “Surprise Wedding” is pleasant, and will make you smile. Currently showing on iRoko TV, “Surprise Wedding” stands out slightly for the actors, and mainly because of a smooth narrative that does not try to stand out as comedy, but would make you laugh anyway.
The film starts with a tough break-up: Bunmi (Naza Ezeani) has been in a relationship for eight years, and ten months to her thirtieth birthday, she wakes up to a wedding card from her boyfriend explaining that his family has pressured him into marriage with another girl. In the moment of sheer heartbreak, Bunmi puts a call across to her mother who offers to hook her up with a friend’s son. Tunde (Kunle Remi) is not ready for marriage yet. His mother (humorously played by Rachel Oniga) would not hear of this. She sets up a wedding for her son, on the same day she sets up a birthday for him. Her intention is for him to get married to whichever girl he deems fit from the crowd she has gathered. He connects with Bunmi as soon as they meet, and after they are introduced again, they accept to go through with marriage on the same day.
Maybe having two screenwriters and an extra supervisor helps this production. It is one film I went back to twice on the same day, its tone is soft, it is slow paced but enjoyable.
The first thing that will hold and keep you attentive through “Surprise Wedding” is the lead actor played by Naza Ezeani. When we are first introduced to her, she is panicking, but even in that mood, she has control over what she is doing. Naza sustains believability and for a rising actor, she holds her own to some of the established acts, through to the last scene. Kunle Remi is always a delight to watch and he meets up to the reputation he is creating for himself.
The humor comes from Ayo Adesanya and Rachel Oniga. The duo sustain the script with a leveled performance that will keep you going back to scenes with the actors. There is a contagious joy that comes with watching “Surprise Wedding” and if should totally indulge in this joy.
For a low budget film, “Surprise Wedding” has its fault; there are scenes that should have been cut out not because they were unnecessary but because there were glaring errors. While it might not take the award for paying attention to details, “Surprise Wedding” mixes good humor with endearing performances, and it is one of those films you will wish had extra minutes to spare. There is nothing wrong with a feel-good film, and ‘Surprise Wedding” is just that.
About the Author
Rejoice is a 22-year-old aspiring Filmmaker and a big dreamer. She’s also a ‘Theatre and film’ arts graduate from the University of Jos, Nigeria.
Nollywood Observer 