If there’s one thing I have come to realize about Mike Ezuruonye over the years, it’s the fact that he does know how to put in effort to make a good movie, while also giving opportunities to new kids on the block to shine. And this is something he continued with his latest movie, Lagos Real Fake Life.
Lagos Real Fake Life tells the story that everyone in Lagos already knows and confirms the rumours that people living in other states have heard; ‘not everyone and everything you see is real.’
The movie got it right by telling an original Nigerian story with comedy. It didn’t form bougie or imbibe the western culture like most comedy movies screening in cinemas are doing, and that’s a good thing to see.
The demographic of the cast was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie in the cinemas that was very diverse in terms of cast, roles, and reach. You had people from Yorubawood, Instagram influencers, actors and actresses from the south, east, north, west, and even from other African countries all coming together to make the movie come alive.
Mike Ezuruonye showed his versatility, Mercy Aigbe, Odunlade, IK Ogbonna, Hadiza, Josh 2 Funny, and a couple of others all killed their roles and will make you look forward to their next scenes.
It was one heck of a funny ride and I assure you that you will laugh effortlessly while learning the bitter and hard truth.
For all the good lessons to be learned in the 2-hour movie, Lagos Real Fake Life found a way to pass it across in a very loud manner. There were a lot of shouting and fighting scenes that the movie could do without, considering how loud and rowdy it got, and scenes that dragged on for too long when it could have been over in a couple of seconds.
Also, the movie felt more like a series of skits joined together, with actors freestyling their roles and saying/doing whatever comes to mind as opposed to following a script.
All in all, the movie is one that I believe everyone should watch because there’s a lot to learn and it will definitely open your eyes to the harsh realities of life.
SCORE – 6/10
Lagos Real Fake Life will start showing in cinemas nationwide on November 16.
What do you think?