A Scathing Review of Oldest Bridesmaid: A Film that Fails to Deliver on its Promising Concept
Oldest Bridesmaid, directed by Stanley Obi and written by Ojor Nneka, had all the ingredients to become a masterpiece of Nigerian cinema. Unfortunately, the final product is a lackluster film that fails to deliver on its promising concept. The movie’s attempt to explore the complexities of love, family, and societal expectations falls flat due to poor execution, weak performances, and technical flaws.
A Concept with Potential, but Poorly Executed
The story revolves around four sisters navigating love, relationships, and societal pressures. The concept is rich with potential, but the execution is lacking. The narrative feels rushed and shallow, with underdeveloped characters and subplots that are glossed over. The film’s themes, including abuse, independence, and family expectations, are worthy of exploration, but they are not given the depth and care they deserve.
Disappointing Performances and Dialogue Delivery
The cast, including the four sisters, fails to deliver convincing performances. The dialogue delivery is stilted, and the post-recorded audio strips the scenes of authenticity. The interactions between characters feel robotic and devoid of nuance, making it difficult to become invested in their journeys.
Technical Flaws and Poor Production Values
The film’s production values are subpar, with dated graphics, poor sound design, and uninspired cinematography. The editing choices are abrupt, making the timeline feel disjointed. The musical score often clashes with the mood, creating a jarring disconnect.
A Frustrating Watch with Unrealized Potential
Oldest Bridesmaid is a frustrating watch because it’s clear that the film had potential. However, the final product is a mess of poor execution, weak performances, and technical flaws. The film’s failure to deliver on its promising concept makes it a disappointing and forgettable watch.
Rating: 1.5/5
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a film that explores the complexities of love, family, and societal expectations, Oldest Bridesmaid is not the film for you. However, if you’re curious about how not to balance comedy and drama, maybe give it a watch. Otherwise, it’s best to avoid this film altogether.
EXCERPT
My Review Of Oldest Bridesmaid.
If there’s one thing Nigerian cinema has mastered, it’s giving us tales steeped in familial chaos and societal wahala. Oldest Bridesmaid takes a swing at these themes, but this swing feels more like a gentle tap that doesn’t quite land. Imagine reaching for jollof rice at a party, only to discover it’s just plain rice with a splash of ketchup—good intentions, poor execution. I legit paused and thought, “Is this Nollywood or one of those YouTube skits gone rogue?”
Directed by Stanley Obi and penned by Ojor Nneka, Oldest Bridesmaid had all the ingredients to create a layered story about love, family, and societal expectations. But instead of a compelling stew, what we get is a lukewarm broth that neither satisfies nor lingers. It’s like suya without pepper—confused and unsatisfying.
The story kicks off with Kitan, the baby of the family, announcing her engagement—a news flash that sends her three older sisters spiraling. Christabel, the eldest and a no-nonsense career woman, scoffs at romance. Toke, the second-born, thrives in her independent, no-strings-attached lifestyle. Then there’s Vivian, stuck in relationship limbo, clinging to an eight-year situationship with no ring in sight. And me watching? I felt like that one cousin at family meetings silently thinking, “Shey this drama no go ever finish?” What should have been a rich exploration of sisterhood and personal struggles ends up feeling rushed and shallow.
Take Kitan’s abuse subplot as an example. A topic this heavy demands time and care, but it’s tossed into the climax like an afterthought, robbing it of emotional weight. It’s like they just said, “Oh, by the way, this happened,” and moved on. Christabel’s romance? Barely developed—blink, and you’ll miss it. Even the sisters’ conflicts, which could have been explosive, feel muted. The narrative doesn’t build; it just moves from one scene to the next without the layers needed to draw us in. It’s like the film is in a hurry to get somewhere but doesn’t know the destination.
At its core, Oldest Bridesmaid aims to tackle the pressures women face in love, marriage, and family. It nods to societal expectations like “getting married at the right age” and the sacrifices that come with relationships. But these themes feel like surface-level checkboxes rather than deeply explored ideas. If you’ve ever had your aunt remind you at Christmas dinner that “time is going oh,” you’d expect a film that really hits on that pressure. But nah, this one just dey do anyhow.
Mrs. Alabi, the sisters’ mother, is meant to inject comic relief with her over-the-top “African parent” energy. While relatable, her antics fail to bring genuine humour, landing more as exaggerated skits than cohesive moments in the story. It’s as though the film couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a drama or a comedy, leaving both elements half-baked. It’s giving, “I wan bake cake, but na chin chin come out.”
Let’s talk acting—or the lack of it. Christabel, Toke, Vivian, and Kitan are meant to be the emotional anchors of the film, but their performances feel detached. Vivian’s frustration about her stagnant relationship comes off as melodramatic rather than relatable. Kitan’s abuse arc, which should have been gut-wrenching, feels like a missed opportunity to portray real vulnerability. Instead, we’re left thinking, “Wait, na so this matter just end?”
The dialogue delivery is another letdown. The post-recorded audio strips scenes of authenticity, making interactions robotic and devoid of nuance. Even Mrs. Alabi, with all her maternal drama, feels more like a caricature than a fully fleshed-out character. Instead of pulling us into their world, the actors leave us watching from a distance, uninvested in their journeys. Honestly, it’s like WhatsApp rehearsal dey show for the acting.
From the opening scene, it’s clear the film’s production is dated. The text and title graphics look like they were plucked from an early Nollywood film. The sound design? A disaster. Some scenes feel like the dialogue was recorded in a separate studio and awkwardly slapped onto the visuals, creating a jarring disconnect. I kept expecting to hear someone shout, “Take two!” in the background.
Editing choices don’t help either. Abrupt scene transitions make the timeline feel disjointed, and the musical score often clashes with the mood. Imagine hearing ominous tones during a lighthearted conversation—it’s distracting, to say the least. The cinematography is uninspired, with framing so basic it adds nothing to the emotional weight of the story. At this point, I was just watching for vibes, not the visuals.
Despite its flaws, the concept of Oldest Bridesmaid has potential. The dynamics of four sisters navigating love and societal pressures could have been a rich tapestry of emotion and humour. Themes like abuse, independence, and family expectations are worth exploring, but they need depth and care—two things this film sorely lacks.
Instead of a cohesive narrative, we get a collection of loosely connected scenes that fail to resonate. The comedic moments rarely land, and the dramatic ones lack the power to move us. It’s like the film is trying to do too much but ends up doing very little. It’s giving jack of all trades, master of none energy.
Oldest Bridesmaid is a frustrating watch because you can see the potential it had. But poor execution, weak performances, and technical flaws turn it into a forgettable film. It’s like that wedding where everything looks good on the surface, but the jollof is bland, the DJ is offbeat, and the MC won’t stop cracking dry jokes.
If you’re looking for a film that explores the complexities of love, family, and societal expectations, this one falls short. But if you’re curious about how not to balance comedy and drama, maybe give it a watch. Me, I don wash my hands commot from this one.
Rating: 1.5/5—For effort. Because, at least, they tried. Daniel Nsa
Key Takeaways:
– Poor execution and weak performances hinder the film’s potential.
– Technical flaws, including poor sound design and cinematography, detract from the viewing experience.
– The film’s themes, including abuse and societal expectations, are worthy of exploration but are not given the depth and care they deserve.
– Oldest Bridesmaid is a disappointing and forgettable watch.
