The Order Of Things

Sidney Esiri, more popularly known as Dr. Sid, makes his directorial debut in this Nigerian romcom, where Tunde (Timini Egbuson) is denied a permission from his mother (Binta Ayo Mogaji) to get married, at least not until his older brother, Demi (Obi Maduegbuna) does so first. It is the order of things, the way things are done, the right way of doing things (the movie does not lack for different ways of structuring this sentence). But even in this repetitiveness and its small scale concept, Sidney Esiri’s effort  manages to nail many things, especially making a comedy that the audience is more likely to laugh and not cringe at—and even more impressive is when it is done without IG skit–level writing and acting.

But while the comedy is good enough to keep you interested, what you really invest in is the story of how Demi can go from geek video game enthusiast to a marriage material, and how the writers can present this over the course of an hour and a half without making it look cartoonishly rushed. His younger brother is the type A, goal-getting Tunde, whose drive for perfection has pushed him to achieve his other career-oriented goals at their specified timelines—like getting an apartment at 24 or becoming executive director at 27. To get his next goal over the line, he and his fiancee, Sophia (Temitope Olowoniyan), will need to prod Demi off his gaming chair and into the dating market.

In comes Larry (Lateef Adedimeji) and his dating service. Through this platform Demi will come across a variety of hilariously eccentric women (here Di’ja shines as the goth, brooding Raven), before finally meeting Tope, with whom he clicks immediately. The rest of the movie should then proceed towards conjugal bliss like you would expect, but the filmmakers have other twists in store. These will help dampen the predictability of what is already a pretty template American romcom storyline. 

Asides this primary story, though, the world around our characters is clearly insufficiently built. Lapses in writing can be found with minimal effort, and even hit you right in the face. Like how there is hardly a mention of Demi and Tunde’s father until the last scene, where someone appears to step in and take that role. Or how everyone happens to pull up at Tope’s apartment at the same time to pull off the big finish.

All of this can be forgiven, though, but the major criticism of the film will stem from its lack of originality. You get the feeling you are watching a film that was pieced from several foreign comedies, but it is a good adaptation nonetheless. Acting isn’t particularly a strong suit here, but Timini Egbuson and Obi Maduegbuna can convincingly step into their roles. For her part, Sandra Okunzuwa is helped by scripting and characterisation that had already boxed her into the ‘nerdy girl’ zone, complete with glasses and sweaters, so all she has to do is be shy and blush. It’s obvious from the start they were made for each other, but one wonders if a more funnier, ultimately cuter match could not be found between Demi and a less alike character. After all, opposites are said to attract in romance.

Mama is an interesting character mainly because she is an addition to the genre—foreign films do not have the traditional mother breathing down the necks of both her sons to marry. Lateef Adedimeji as Larry, the matchmaker, is a bad idea, from planning to execution, and his use of exaggerated acting is an unwelcome reminder that we are still in Nollywood. Di’ja as Raven is a much better addition in her role, though it is not a very relatable one. Music is another strong point, unless you are not a big fan of Dr. Sid and wouldn’t be happy to hear his songs roll back the years.

Altogether, The Order Of Things builds on a premise that may be considered novel or overused depending on if you primarily consume Nigerian or American film content. It may not be the fireworks entry Sidney Esiri might have hoped for his pivot into film, but for an hour and a half it delivers funny and cute moments in sufficient measure. A fun film, even if not a very Nigerian one.