Every weekend in Lagos, a wedding happens somewhere, pictures of which, appear on blogs and social media generally, and unwittingly raise the bar for what a fairy-tale wedding is. The fairy-tale wedding being that ideal which almost every bride has nursed in their minds from the cradle, and which they unrelentingly try to anchor in reality – even if it costs an arm or a leg. The standards keep changing especially in this era of social media and for many, the smallest wedding is almost equal to an average sized carnival.
“It’s Her Day” re-examines the wedding culture, with the story of Victor (Bovi) an oversee-returnee whose inferiority complex is enough to push him beyond his reach to prove himself deserving of a woman whose social circumstances by far outclasses his. It causes the cynic in you to double check the next set of flashy online wedding pictures for signs of the groom screaming for help in his frustration.
In reality, weddings are usually a cooperation between both families, at least in most occasions, but in this movie, Victor agrees to sponsor the imaginations of a family wealthier than him; just because. Imagine the pressure a regular dude faces to hire Kelechi Amadi-Obi as wedding photographer, Wizkid, Davido, Tuface, Onyeka Onwenu, King Sunny Ade etc for a “small-sized” wedding of 1020 guests, where each table should have a bottle of champagne in the face of a contracting economy.
Rightly, Victor asks: “Is it wedding or show we are doing? It’s as if it is marriage unplugged”.
Imagine where the success of a wedding ceremony is measured by the number of Instagram likes and comments the wedding photos get, the currencies sprayed at the wedding, whether or not the wedding is featured in BellaNaija, and what captions LindaIkejisBlog uses for the bride and groom. Imagine where brides have to always be picture perfect; reapplying lipstick in the middle of traditional rites, or refusing wedding rings at the altar because they are not diamonds and would not look good in pictures.
That is a lot of work and pretentiousness even if this is true for the movie alone and not in real life. Immediately, this movie begins to seem like a diss track as many famous fairy tale weddings come to mind.
I like that the movie approaches this very familiar and relatable subject with a simplicity and zing that generates genuine, heartfelt laughter in the audience. In that moment, you just might have been laughing at your own self. The movie does not try too hard to be funny, if anything, its originality endears, which is one edge this movie has over Ay Makun’s 30 Days in Atlanta. It’s Her Day thrives on the wings of the popular saying that weddings are a woman’s day and so she must have her way. (Though in doing so, it also promotes that stereotype – but I digress).
What if the woman’s “way” is beyond your reach?
In answering this question, the movie reveals a conflict of social class with the butler (Femi Durojaiye) of the Hernandez family hilariously being the silent observer/commentator, reacting in the ways we possibly would have. The interaction between both families/ classes is what propels the humour element in the story with entertaining conversations and wit.
The characters try to justify their place in this movie, and I particularly like the casting of Gregory Ojefua as Victor’s best friend. The duo work well together, with Gregory constantly beating out the demons that have possessed his friend. The bride, Nichole, played by Ini Dima-Okojie is every inch the spoilt brat the movie intends her to be, never backing down in her illusions as long as they have crossed her thoughts. Shaffy Bello, Nichole’s mother could not have been better. A character like Nichole deserves a mother like her. On his part, Bovi is natural with energy, wit and control that works in his favour. As a leading man, I prefer him many times to Ay Makun in 30 Days in Atlanta.
The movie, however, seemed entirely focused on its major plot in ways that make the few sub-plots appear redundant. I still cannot get over the idea of Nichole’s sister, showing up at Bovi’s bachelor’s eve, unexplained. It had no relevance to the plot of the movie and even the excuse that she was invited by Victor’s sister, is just as irrelevant. This may then be an explanation for why the movie parades mostly flat characters, except Victor, and maybe Gregory Ojefua.
Some of the plot elements do not follow through logically as what is feasible, but let us agree that if we dwell on technicalities around the movie, we might reduce it to an exercise of separating stones from beans.
Let’s also agree that it is not an easy thing to make people laugh. Especially as they struggle to understand if recession is really a word or feeling. So when people like Bovi Ugboma present humour in a natural, original and unforced form, we should appreciate it, because he has done well (more so when he has done it on a low budget).
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