Synopsis:
The Wedding Party is a Nigerian romantic comedy which depicts what can go wrong with a lavish wedding in Lagos. Kemi Adetiba was in charge of this film, which focuses on a peculiar Wedding of Dunni Coker: a young gallery owner (Adesua Etomi) to a rich IT tycoon, Dozie Onwuka (Banky Wellington).
The young couple has decided to go on with the much awaited wedding. But as much as they are in love, these young nigerian couples particularly children of Dunni’s Yoruba overbearing parents and Dozie’s Igbo rich snobbish mum are bringing issues. As both families bang heads over ethnicity and social status, things therein, the wedding turns rapidly into a laughing stock. There were simple reasons — invites misplaced, too many ex wives, wedding rings stolen, obnoxious guests, over the top wedding planners and so on.
As tensions rise, Dozie and Dunni have to survive the madness of the wedding day itself, of their families and of themselves as they try and see through that day, the most important day in their lives, with as little impact on their relationship as possible.
Awards & Wins:
The Wedding Party was a massive success in Nollywood, becoming the highest-grossing Nigerian film at the time of its release. It won several awards, including:
- Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (2017):
- Best Supporting Actor – Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama
- Best Director – Kemi Adetiba (Nomination)
- Best Overall Movie (Nomination)
The film’s success also led to the creation of a sequel, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai (2017), which also enjoyed significant commercial success.
Cast & Crew:
- Director: Kemi Adetiba
- Main Cast:
- Adesua Etomi as Dunni Coker – The bride, who tries to navigate the chaos of her wedding day.
- Banky Wellington as Dozie Onwuka – The groom, who faces pressure from both his demanding family and his ex-girlfriend.
- Sola Sobowale as Tinuade Coker – Dunni’s dramatic mother, who is determined to have the perfect wedding.
- Ireti Doyle as Lady Obianuju Onwuka – Dozie’s controlling and judgmental mother.
- Richard Mofe-Damijo as Felix Onwuka – Dozie’s charming father who tries to keep the peace.
- Ali Baba as Bam-Bam Coker – Dunni’s eccentric father.
- Zainab Balogun as Wonu – The wedding planner who struggles to keep everything together.
- Beverly Naya as Rosie – Dozie’s jealous ex-girlfriend who attempts to disrupt the wedding.
- Screenplay: Kemi Adetiba, Tosin Otudeko
- Cinematography: Muhammad Atta Ahmed
- Music: Various Nigerian artists
IMDb Ratings:
- IMDb Score: 6.1/10
- The film received positive reviews for its humorous portrayal of a Nigerian wedding, showcasing the country’s vibrant culture and highlighting the complexities of love, family, and tradition. Though some viewers found the plot predictable, most praised its lightheartedness, strong performances, and appeal to a wide audience.
Personal Insights:
The Wedding Party is a lively and exciting concern that stresses on the Nigerian society and the Lagos centre through a beautiful wedding. However, the film is a delight to watch because of the love story, the interpersonal family conflicts and the gorge that rips out almost every person at every important occasion, which inspires most of the other viewers who are not Nigerians.
Another reason why the appraisal of the film works well thanks to the cast which was faced two averagely paced but in its rhythm Kadir. It is against the background of the mother’s furor that most humorous moments of the film come about. Actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Ireti Doyle play the role of Dozie’s ‘respectable’ parents who use all methods of dramatic appeal through their old-fashioned ideas and class consciousness.
There is just wonderful romantic development between Adesua Etomi and Banky Wellington, which makes the central love affair impeccable. Their actions serve to stabilize all the crazy things which are going on around them and hence managing to keep the film within borders of reality. Moreover, Kemi Adetiba succeeds one more time due to contemplating movie: the director has a gift in adding love, humour, and drama into the movie as the atmosphere of Nigerian weddings expects.
Nonetheless, I would say that, in addition to all the comedic elements and the shenanigans, The Wedding Party has a deeper underlying message related to the aspect of marriage pressure in the society particularly, in this case, Nigeria. This film revolves around the family’s expectations in most Nigerian weddings, the cultural differences and the hierarchy of society. These themes are not only local but also resonate with international audiences who can appreciate such conflict existing in their cultures.
In terms of visuals, the film is fantastic, combining rich colors, opulent design and an overall casing which captures the high-end society of Nigeria. The wedding highlights the talents of younger Nigerian musicians and provides yet another cultural dimension which makes the wedding very much contemporary and Nigerian.
Finally, The Wedding Party is a positive film with remarkable qualities and remains one of the well-made and entertaining movies in the history of Nollywood astonishment. This achievement was a gradual stepping stone for Nigerians as it successively introduced to them the world which showed that it was possible to produce high-grade, commercial-oriented films which appealed to both local and international viewers.
