Best Friends

-Originality: [1 out of 5] Venus Film’s “Best Friend” is indeed a rip of the 2002 Bollywood movie, Mujhse Dosti Karoge (Will you be my friend?) starring Rani Mukherji, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan (on left). I do give them props for adding some aspect of originality to it… yet! A stolen work is still a stolen work.

-Predictability: [0 out of 5] This was indeed extremely predictable on double grounds. One, it was predictable for those who had seen the original. Two, what else could have happened in the end?

-Directing/Editing: [2 out of 5] Phil Efe Bernard as a director? He is not as bad as some but under the Venus Film wing, I think Frank Rajah is way better at the actual act of directing. But then again, Frank has had more experience. So do we say Phil will get better with time? And I did notice Ruth Kadiri’s name, she is moving on to bigger things apparently. I just don’t like the fact that her debut in Ghana is in a stolen movie. There were a couple glaring problems with this movie other than the fact that it was ripped. First of all, the scene where Yvonne Nelson goes to beg the so called “classless friend” to hook her up with her cousin was missplaced (i.e it was placed earlier than it should have been placed), watch the movie and you’ll see what I’m saying. And my second problem with this movie was the “almost turning point” scene in which *SPOILER* Goldie gives David Eva’s number. Now, the story is that Eva had been communicating with David over the internet for 5 years while he was in London pretending that she was Goldie. And when David decides he wants to come back home, Eva begs Goldie to keep up the charade and Goldie agrees. Meanwhile, Eva throws away her old phone because that was the phone David had called her on when he was still in London. Now, David is back in Ghana and dating Goldie as he thinks she is the one he has been talking to and a situation arises when he needs Eva’s number and Goldie mistakenly gives him Eva’s old number (aka the one Eva had used to be calling David while he was in London and she was pretending to be Goldie) when she gives him the number, the number is recognized by the phone (all hail technology) and it says on the screen “Eva”! Eva? Really? Shouldn’t it say Goldie since he thought it was Goldie that he was talking to? My third qualms with this movie is with Yvonne Nelson and the younger version of her, normally people get darker as they grow yet I’m supposed to believe that Younger Yvonne Nelson is as dark as she is in the “Little Girls Want Prada Too” video above, and then she becomes as light as Yvonne 10 years later? Next and final qualm: What kind of yeye doctor walks out of the operation room! Looks at the folks in the waiting room. Smiles. And continues smiling and says “I’m sorry we lost her”? 

-Acting quality: [3 out of 5] Love Yvonne Okoro best for some reason. She seemed the standout performance for me right next to Kalsum Sinare. Why do they keep on casting Yvonne Nelson in Kareena Kapoor’s roles? They did that in Losing You and now again in Best Friends. Ok o. Speaking of Ms. Nelson, she did better work in this movie to me maybe because she has more experience with the bad/spoilt girl role. However, the true test of an actor remains versatility. James James James. In the review for “A Night With Her” which he acted in alongside John Dumelo and Jackie Appiah, I had said that as a supporting actor he is not bad but he was still not yet ready for a lead role and maybe practice would make him better. And now? He is definitely better than he was in a night with her but there is definitely still room for improvement. I love Ecow Smith’s acting, no matter what anyone wants to say.

-Setting: [4 out of 5] Great

-Costume/Make-Up: [3 out of 5] Job well done. Except… why were they all wearing make up in bed?

-Video Quality: [4 out of 5] Great

-Soundtrack: [2 out of 5] Still said “3-some” and it wasn’t your typical Bernie Anti work

-Musical Score: [4 out of 5] Bernie is a genius. That. Is. All