MOVIE REVIEW: BROS
We’ve complained again and again (well if you haven’t, I have) about how low the quality of christian movies in Nigeria and to be honest, the rest of the world are. Why can’t we just get it right? Why must the quality of acting, production design, soundtrack and scoring be so low? It’s infuriating to see, mostly because we have a lot of believers who work on secular or even wordly projects and the level of artistry and quality of work is on a higher level, so why is it that when it gets to our turn we just do it shabbily and say christians don’t support christian content (this might be true to some degree) but still… Let's do better guys.
Anyhoo, I usually try not to review christian movies because I have too much respect for the body of Christ and I don’t want to be one that destroys in the public domain (because I usually don’t have a lot of good things to say except for Jesus in the movie) the work believers put into a project but when I see an okay work or a commendable work, it’s good to give them their flowers and encourage them to do better.
Today, I’ll be sharing my review on John Oguntuase’s recently released movie ‘Bros’
THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPONSORED*
Now that we’ve gotten that teeny weeny detail out of the way, let’s dive in.
‘Bros’ tells the story of two ‘bros’ or two friends (should I call them friends? Okay, sorta friends, housemates ) who vie for the attention of a beautiful sister (Do we still call people in church that? Brother and Sister?). They employ various tricks to try to win her heart.
If you haven’t already seen the movie, it’s a good time to say *SPOILER AHEAD*
Let’s meet the principal characters.
Jesutobi- A young bum who lives rent free in his uncle’s apartment. No clear source of income, seems to be a womanizer. Housemate with Bro Mathew. Interested in Sister Gloria.
Bro Mathew- A young man who life hasn’t been fair to. Housemate with Jesutobi. Unemployed. Interested in sister Gloria.
Sister Gloria- The church belle and the apple of Jesutobiloba, Bro Mathew and one missionary man in the jungle’s eyes. Confused about love and marriage. In a distance relationship with missionary man. A church sister devoted to God.
Missionary Man- A preacher of the gospel on field work in the ‘jungle’- according to sister Gloria. Barely has time for her.
Let’s start with the things I liked in the movie ( we always have to start with the good part hehehe)
To be honest, this story line is somewhat fresh in the christian drama space, so it was good to see. They get a plus 1 here.
I liked the scoring…the nice music that kept playing at some parts in the movie, almost felt like a hollywood romcom.
The two leading men were handsome so it gave me some ginger to keep watching. The leading lady was also a natural beauty.
Jesutobiloba and Bro Mathew’s acting felt almost natural, so that was really good to see.
There were some relatable moments, like when Bro Mathew (I’m dropping the bro the next time I mention him cuz I don’t like it) tried reading the bible for the first time… the part where he said In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, pluto nko? I felt it… cuz I’ve asked myself before, when did God create the other planets?
Jesuloba actually rehearsing speaking in tongues was hilarious!
The vigil scene was actually nice.
The scene where Gloria opened her heart to God. It showed we can be vulnerable with God and cry out to him when we are confused.
I think that’s about what I really liked in the movie. Now, let's look at the not so nice parts or parts I feel can be improved on.
Better production design. Some locations could have been better decorated just to elevate the overall feel of the drama. I know I know, you’ll say it’s funding. Still sha, it can be better.
The lightning was too dark! It’s not just this production to be honest, a lot of nollywood movies are just too dark. What kind of cinematic feel are they always looking for?
There was to be a bromance between the two male leads, the constant back and forths between them seemed okay at first but then became too long and just dry jokes.
The female lead did well but her acting wasn’t giving in a lot of places. Hopefully, as more projects come her way, she can have the opportunity to improve.
The female lead’s mom’s acting could also have been better.
This prophet was a liar right? I didn’t quite get it. Or did Jesutobiloba pay him to prophecy to Gloria?
So why exactly did Mathew accept Christ? Because he felt bad about what he had done to her? Still not enough reason to become saved sha but who knows the way the Holy Spirit convicts people. The tiniest reason can do. I don’t really like this angle but it’s fine. Many people find their way to God for different reasons. I’d have preferred a stronger reason but oh well, I’m not the writer.
In summary, I liked that the movie touched on some particular issues like not wanting to get it wrong in marriage and the pressure ladies face to marry ‘early’, struggles missionaries and missionaries' girlfriends face. (It’s between God and Gloria but I didn’t like the missionary or any of the guys in the movie for her- hopefully when they marry, he will learn to make time for his wife. Some things should be discussed and settled before marriage and not just using prayer to cover it- I’d have liked to see them sit together and discuss the challenges in their relationship).This movie could have well been titled Gloria’s dilemma and it would have also worked fine.
I had to watch the movie twice, the first time I saw it, I just couldn’t follow through. It didn’t have enough to compel me to focus (probably because it was too dark lol).The second time was because of work so I had to pay attention and then I saw it was actually good. A good improvement on a lot of Nigerian Christian dramas I have tried seeing in the past.
Kudos to the director, crew and actors on this project. Hopefully, we keep seeing bigger and better pictures in the Christian movie space.
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