Meeting Funmi’s Parents

From the trailer of this movie, the race of the main characters already made this seem like a rehash of the 2017 romcom, Isoken. The fact that both movies share the same mother of the bride (Tina Mba) only stamped this notion further.

Romcoms aren’t the hardest film productions to make and many times they follow a simple pattern. Simply develop a captivating dynamic between two charismatic characters with an abundance of chemistry between them whilst infusing the narrative with comedy. Sometimes an obstacle is introduced that the couple will need to overcome, but with this, the plot is still kept relatively easy to follow. It’s a straightforward process that gets the job done effortlessly. But Meeting Funmi’s Parents doesn’t nail all these.

Meeting Funmi’s Parents opens with Funmi (Omowunmi Dada) abroad while on a date with her White boyfriend (Roman Thomson). He proposes to her, and she says yes. Thereafter, she invites him back home to Nigeria to meet her parents when she goes home for a break in a few weeks. Upon arrival, they face resistance from Funmi’s Dad (Akin Lewis), who opposes her marrying a white man, while Funmi’s mum tries to bridge the gap and maintain peace between her husband and her daughter. A Nigerian ex-boyfriend (Timini Egbuson) is introduced into the mix as he tries to win Funmi back and the plot develops further.

Throughout most of this movie, it deals with Funmi’s dad not wanting to accept Jason, the white boyfriend. The idea of reverse racism here isn’t treated well as it is mostly played for jokes, jokes that ultimately aren’t that funny. Reverse racism is a societal problem that plagues Nigeria and even though the movie tries in a particular scene to add nuance to the topic, it ultimately reverts to playing it for fun. Funmi’s dad is portrayed as a hardheaded yet whiny man which is perplexing to watch.

Towards the second half of this movie, viewers are left with choosing between the white man or the Nigerian ex, and this is a very unnerving choice. Jason is revealed to be an abusive partner, and she left her ex, Ayo, because he was a cheater. Faced with this dilemma, it seems unjust for Funmi, a beautiful and educated woman, to be forced into choosing between a woman beater and a philanderer. One can’t help but think that she deserves better than settling for either, given the ample options available in the sea of potential partners.

Another pitfall of this movie is the lack of chemistry between Funmi and both men. The connection between Funmi and Jason lacks the spark that would naturally make audiences root for their relationship, other than wanting them to succeed because of the reverse racism at play, there’s a lack of compelling reasons to support them. The movie thinks that an extended montage at the beach and Nike art gallery is enough to display their love. Between Funmi and Ayo, their relationship occurred before the story of this movie began, so it’s hard to envision the dynamic they once had. For a long span of the movie, Funmi has only a dislike for Ayo, so even when the feelings she has for him change, it all falls flat. The audience is expected to accept that Ayo has left his cheating days behind, solely because he states he has, which doesn’t resonate convincingly.

Some other minor editing issues were present. There’s a scene where Funmi goes to her best friend’s (Sophie Alakija) house and her best friend’s husband (Ifeanyi Emmanuel Ikubese) is watching a football match on the TV. For much of this scene, the noisy dubbed football match overshadows the conversations. Then they show that the TV is off or the power supply was taken but the house remains properly lit.

Another scene has Paulinus (a comedic taxi driver who transports Funmi and her fiancé to her house, played by Broda Shaggi) coming to the house and the maid (Sophia Chisom) references he brought her the previous day when several days have already passed after the car trip from the airport. These issues disrupt the smooth flow of the story.

For all of this movie’s woes, it wins with the subplot of Funmi’s grandma and her terminal illness. This helps add heart, one that this movie was badly in need of. It was also nice to see how Jason’s change in character was implemented, an observant eye will catch the tiny clues they were leaving behind, by the time the woman beater point was dropped it was surprising but not jarring.

While the performances in this film are often hindered by a less-than-sharp script, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett stands out as a delightful exception. Sophie Alakija also gives a good performance as Funmi’s best friend. Timini Egbuson, familiar with the romcom genre, finds his potential to shine limited due to the shortcomings in character development.

The film concludes hinting at a sequel, yet it’s crucial that only capable hands undertake such a prospect. In the end, Meeting Funmi’s Parents falls short of capturing the magic seen in romcoms and concludes as a movie aspiring to replicate the success of Isoken, yet falling short of capturing its charm, beauty, and comedic timing.