First Class

We all know that Ruth Kadiri can act. In fact in our last review for “Stolen Lives” we reaffirmed this. However, if somewhere along the line you’ve managed to forget that Ruth Kadiri can write too (and booooy does she write) then this movie is here to serve as a very friendly reminder (Homevideo screenplays by Ruth Kadiri).

First Class is the story of Nduka a successful businessman who also happens to be an illiterate. After getting sick and tired of being duped because of his illiteracy, he takes it upon himself to return to school and start from primary one. His teacher, played by Ruth Kadiri, is a frustrated first class petrochemical engineering graduate of UniLag (and I would know… she only said it a thousand and one times during the movie) who has been relegated to this role due to lack of employments.

The teacher is frustrated with her job, the system and her life because her mother went into debt to see her through school and her measly teacher salary is not helping to make ends meet. Meanwhile on the other hand there is Nduka who is desperately trying to learn how to read and write and these two have to find a way to coexist with each other.

Watching this movie took me back to the first Ruth Kadiri screenplay I remember seeing, “Ladies Men“. Like that movie too and most Ruth Kadiri screenplays, from start to finish the movie captivates you and it helps that this movie is encapsulated by good directing and great actors.

Mike Ezuruonye plays the illiterate Nduka in this movie and boy does he channel all of our favorite things from his previous character wonderboy in “The Celebrity“. Mike owns the role and never does he come on screen and not deliver. The pairing of him and Ruth Kadiri in this movie is simply delightful.

The storyline is focused from start to finish with no extraneous or annoyingly unnecessary scenes. By the end of the movie, the reviewer in me is clapping for the screenwriter especially for not succumbing to the usual route of turning it into a love story. However, at the end of the movie, the movie lover in me is thinkin2015g up many different ways to strangle Ms. Kadiri for not giving me at least 2 or 3 scenes where they fall in love.