dinner at my place movie review

Dinner at My Place Review: In Kevin Luther Apaa’s Rom-Com, Romance Is as Important as Comedy

Dinner at My Place is a movie that knows that it’s being ridiculous but revels in its ridiculousness and wields it like a tool..

By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku

If there is one thing that Nollywood can guarantee filmgoers, it’s that the industry cannot lack romantic comedies during the month of February. And because the genre is one of those that do not have to deal with great expectations, Nollywood rom-coms often meet expectations. Rarely do they go above, though.

Released on the 28th of January, 2022, as one of the first films of the Valentine season, Dinner at My Place is not quite a classic, but it does a little more than meet expectations. And it turns out to be fun, too.

Written and directed by Kevin Luther Apaa, the film is a feature-length version of a 2019 short film by the same writer-director, featuring Hollywood actors Lisa Yaro, Monique Blanchard and Maynard Okereke. The feature film version stars Timini Egbuson ( Superstar , Juju Stories ), Sophie Alakija ( Gone ) Bisola Aiyeola ( Sugar Rush ), Charles Etubiebi ( Finding Hubby ), and Uche Montana ( Hide ‘N’ Seek ).

In Dinner at My Place , Nonso (Egbuson) plans the perfect dinner proposal that he hopes will end with his mother’s 22,000 USD ring sitting pretty on the finger of his lover, Chioma (Alakija). But things take a hilarious turn when Nonso’s ex-girlfriend, Bisi (Aiyeola), shows up at Nonso’s home during the dinner, and the ring seems to end up in the wrong woman’s stomach.

If the situation sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. But that does not make it unbelievable. Dinner at My Place is a movie that knows that it’s being ridiculous but revels in its ridiculousness and wields it like a tool, while managing to present its story with considerable credibility. Nonso does not decide to propose by putting the ring in egusi soup as if it is ice-cream, which would be an unwise but acceptable rom-com style proposal with a Nigerian twist. Instead, he puts the ring in the soup by accident in a moment of panic.

Similarly, many of the movie’s events are unlikely, but not totally impossible. Together, they might feel like a fabrication, but the movie itself feels more original than it feels fabricated. It certainly helps that the events turn out to be genuinely humorous, if occasionally unnecessary or a bit over the top. There is no dull moment, and no excessively annoying one. And if the movie ever starts to feel too serious for its goals, the colourful palette and the mostly upbeat soundtrack, helmed by the award-winning film score composer, Michael “Truth” Ogunlade ( The Wedding Party ), do a solid job of holding up the scenes and lifting the mood.

But, perhaps, the loveliest bits of the movie are the scenes where romance takes front row. Egbuson and Alakija are nothing short of cute as Nonso and Chioma, evoking that “God when” reaction that audiences jealously long for. Egbuson might have found fame as an innocent young man simply in love with a more experienced young woman in the third season of MTV Shuga  (before becoming a playboy in subsequent seasons), but he has notoriously been typecast as an arrogant playboy.

It is interesting to see him successfully, again, take on the role of a sweet but unsure man-in-love who is excited to settle down with the woman of his dreams. And despite Aiyeola occupying a weighty but never overdone presence as Bisi (Aiyeola employs a high-pitched voice to come off as annoying but still pleasing to watch), Alakija is as natural as can be, positioning herself as an active participant in both the relationship and in the movie, such that she never goes unnoticed.

At the background, Etubiebi and Montana hold their own as Jay and Cynthia, the best friends of the lead lovers. That they would start to develop feelings for each other is a cliché as old as the rom-com genre, but it is still nice to watch. As it should be, their romance takes the back seat in the story, but it never feels rushed, even though it doesn’t take long to grow. And yet, between the two romantic pairings, the movie almost always maintains a good pace and just the right amount of cheesy.

Unfortunately, when it seems like the movie has escaped the perils of the unfocused screenwriting that seems to be plaguing Nollywood movies in recent times, Dinner at My Place begins to dip. In fact, in the cinema hall, I remarked to myself that in overambitious hands, the movie could have turned into a kidnapping or heist movie the moment Bisi bragged about her new found wealth in a cab, and that the movie, unlike many others, is sure about what it wants to be.

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But it turned out that I rejoiced too soon. Instead of ending midway into its third act, which is when its conflict (which never really hits the highest point) gets resolved, the movie takes the disappointing route and goes off course. It introduces an unnecessary prank and an even more unnecessary robbery in a last ditch effort to draw laughs and gain mileage in terms of running time.

Admittedly, the robbery and its accompanying scenes are sometimes funny, but the movie already has more than enough that is funny about it. If all the other ridiculous events are justifiable, the prank and robbery are not. And at the end of the day, the movie comes off as a less dramatic, rom-com version of Sugar Rush .

Still, Dinner at My Place is good entertainment, a fun watch with plenty of decent laughs. It knows when to pull at your heartstrings and when to make you almost roll on the floor. It balances out the elements of its story, never allowing comedy to overshadow the romance or vice versa. This is a movie that will make for a quality date night movie, especially since the parties are unlikely to get to the end. And it will likely come up in conversations about romantic comedies with the funniest proposals. It might even be one of the best rom-coms you will see this February. However, it fails to make the best out of its initially impressive set-up.

Rating: 6/10

Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku, a film critic, writer and lawyer, currently writes from Uyo. Connect with her on Twitter @Nneka_Viv and Instagram @_vivian.nneka

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Dinner at My Place is a Nigerian Romantic Comedy about a surprise proposal that goes nothing as planned. It stars Timini Egbuson ( Fifty, Elevator Baby ) in the lead role of Nonso, and is written and directed by Kevin Apaa. Notably, the film was shot in the largest city of Nigerai, Lagos.

The complete cast of the film includes Sophie Alakija as Nonso’s girlfriend Chioma, Charles Etubiebi as his best friend Jay, Bisola Aiyeloa as troublesome Bisi, Uche Nwaefuna as Chioma’s roommate cum friend Cynthia, Debby Felix, Michael Sani, and Olayemi Solade. Moreover, it has a runtime of one hour and forty-five minutes.

-Dinner at My Place Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-

The film starts with a letter from Nonso’s late mother, which reads about her last gift to her son, which is a twenty-two thousand dollar engagement ring. In the letter, Nonso’s mother states that she wishes him to get married and use the ring for an elegant proposal. The scene then absurdly switches to a pop song about romantic love without any delay (talk about match cuts).

Nonso (played by Timini Egbuson) is currently in a relationship with Chioma (played by Sophie Alakija) and has curated all the plans to take things to the next level. In the process, he is assisted by his best friend Ray, and Chioma’s roommate Cynthia. Almost everything is well in place for the big date, until it’s not.

Nonso’s manipulative and money-oriented ex-girlfriend makes an uninvited entry to the dinner. And ends up spoiling the occasion for everyone. What happens next, is a complete comedy of errors, or at least one that tries enough.

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The film is completely artificial right from the romantic montage at the start, till the very end. The screenplay is so dull, that nothing could save the feature from falling flat. In fact, the only time when you’ll actually have a contentful smile is during the credit roll.

Usually, it takes an extraordinary feat of actors to compensate for an average script. But, the leading performances of Timini Egbuson and Sophie Alakija are equally disappointing to watch. It almost looks like their expressions are forced, and nothing comes off as natural.

However, the supporting characters and specially Bisi (played by Bisola Aiyeloa) hold the fort in terms of acting. They are the only binding element to this otherwise distracting romantic comedy. In fact, the part of Bisi might be the most hated one in the flick, but it’s also the only role that makes enough effort to shine.

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Dinner at My Place Final Thoughts

The film is plain, dull and empty in certain places. It also has the tendency to become inconsistent with the ongoing events (in an attempt to produce a comic effect). Specifically, the robbery scene that comes towards the end, is as cringe as it can get. Moreover, the only thing you can remember from this romantic comedy is the vibing soundtrack.

You can watch the film on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.

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• Bisola Aiyeloa
• Charles Etubiebi
• Dinner at My Place
• Nigerian Romantic Comedy
• Sophie Alakija
• Timini Egbuson
• Uche Nwaefuna

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Movie Review: Why ‘Dinner At My Place’ is not your regular comedy romance

You might already know you are expecting a romantic movie when you see Timini Egbuson and Sophie Alakija in a film . What we should look at now is if Dinner At My Place is just that regular film or if it deserves an ovation.

Dinner At My Place is the story of a young orphan (Nonso) who was going to propose to his girlfriend with the $22,000 gold ring his mother left for him. The plan was to propose over dinner at his place, and everything seemed to be going on as planned. His girlfriend arrived at his home, and out of anxiety, he threw the ring inside the stew.

His girlfriend came, and while they were settling to dinner, there was a knock on the door. Nonso opened the door to find his ex-girlfriend, who had come to appeal that she sleeps over that night. Finally, after appeals from Nonso’s girlfriend, he agreed she sleeps on the couch, but then, she went on to eat the food and swallowed something all of them believed was the ring.

Did they ever get the ring back? What extreme action did they have to take in search of the ring? Truthfully, the story and plot of Dinner At My Place is nice and a definition of a romantic comedy . There is this “Awwn” feeling you will get watching the film, and somehow, none of these took away all the comic scenes in the movie.

It is even more amusing that the film starts with a tragic scene, and you think you are expecting to see another flow of the story.

Then Boom, the writer shocks us with a comedy . Also, when the ex-girlfriend came, one would expect the usual turn out of ex-girlfriend drama and how the protagonist resolves it, but then again, the writer took us out of the norm. Dinner At My Place was a well-thought-out story, which is impressive.

The directing is also as good, and one would tell a lie to say the director didn’t do a good job. However, some flaws in the movie make one question the director’s ability to be attentive to details. For instance, the proposal was meant to be a surprise; Donna wasn’t supposed to know her best friend was in the house, yet, she saw her best friend’s car in the house, and she wasn’t surprised?

Very unrealistic. Also, how did water fill the WC so bad? Regardless, the ability to create reality was top-notch and commendable.

The acting in Dinner At My Place is the spice of the movie as every single actor did a fantastic job handling the role. Seeing the “bad boy” Timini playing the shy, nervous role was sweet to watch. I mean, seeing a different Timini is something worth noting.

Bisola has always been a good actress, and once again, she nailed her role. Uche Montana and Sophia Alakija also did great jobs, and truthfully, there was no bad actor in Dinner At My Place. The synergy and chemistry between the actors also made their roles very believable. They nailed their roles.

The whole production is a good effort, from the choice of music, the costume and make-up, and even the cinematography. Really, despite the avoidable flaws in the movie , Dinner At My Place is a fantastic delivery, and it would get a 9/10

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MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Dinner at My Place’ and too much Spice

Dinner at My Place stars Timini Egbuson, Sophie Alakija, and Bisola Aiyeola. Charles Etubiebi and Uche Montana also feature in this 2022 release. Directed by Kevin Luther Apaa, Dinner at My Place shot its way to the top of the box office charts in its debut weekend, the first debuting Nollywood movie to reach those heights since November 2021.

Dinner at My Place employs its comedy shtick without sugar-coating. Right from the off, the movie doesn’t fail to let us know what it’s shooting for; dramatic comedy. Even in the early bits, where scenes happen without consequence – and with questionable relevance – the comic sense is there.

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And it is a credit to the acting and dialogue between characters that they sell that. There’s the convincing and humorous awkwardness portrayed by Timini Egbuson, the kind that is most times advertised to us beforehand. So, when he starts portraying those acts, we’re already sold on the genuineness, and we buy into the humour. And there’s a decent support cast of characters to make it work.

For much of the film, ‘Dinner at My Place’ toes the fine line between decent humour and overcooked hysteria. Sometimes scenes drag on, seem a bit repeated and/or unnecessary, and don’t really have that much consequence. Sometimes, the comedy is timely, lands well, and doesn’t overshadow the plot and story of the film. There are moments when it overdoes things, and there are moments when it doesn’t make use of the humorous set ups it gets.

Then when it introduces Bisola Aiyeola in the final part of the first act, it adds a bit of comical spice. At times, the portrayal of her characters as overt and overbearing is a tad too much, and has skid marks of one-dimensional writing, even though it’s a credit to her that she sells it.

Dinner at My Place misses the mark with its third act. There’s the fact that all of what came in its supposed climax was unnecessary, weak, and quite off-putting. There’s also the case that the lazy climax was matched in degree by a rather non-existent and cop-out resolution. But what makes the conclusion much of a downer is how it undermines what came before it.

If most of the earlier parts of Dinner at My Place toes the line between funny and cringe, the third act crosses it completely. Suddenly, it abandons any sense of reason and just dives into something that lacks interest as it does necessity, and even the decent humour that came before simply descends into farce. Suddenly, we go from funny to laughable, this final act also paints a rather terrible picture of the movie as a whole. It’s ironic how, for a landing that was very much unnecessary, and pretty much inconsequential, it can’t be divorced from the entire movie as a whole.

Dinner at My Place has quite a decent concept, if not necessarily premise, and looked to be using its strengths for much of its runtime, and it doesn’t really hold back, on the humour or the gore. The issue is how it suddenly takes its foot off the gas in the final act and goes from ‘arguably forgettable comedy’ to ‘trite farce’.

Cast: Bisola Aiyeola as Bisi; Sophie Alakija as Chioma; Timini Egbuson as Nonso; Charles Etubiebi as Jay; Debby Felix; Uche Nwaefuna as Cynthia; Michael Sani; Olayemi Solade.

Culled from sodasandpopcorn.ng

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