Editor’s note: As the Nollywood industry continues to expand and gain international recognition, there are aspects of it that however remain the same. Naij contributor Efeturi Doghudje lists some plots that have been done to death by Nigerian movie producers.
Nollywood actor Pete Edochie
Nollywood movies are produced a dime a dozen. The situation is such that a movie can be shot, edited and put together in a week, with the actor moving on to other sets without the much needed time to come out of character.
Due to how prolific the industry is, it is no surprise when we feel like we’ve pretty much seen it all
(technically, we have).
Some of our Nigerian movies, without any regard for the viewing audiences, dredge up familiar plots to propel themselves forward, resting on tried and tested formulas that now, nevertheless, seem extremely trite and lazy. These plots might have seemed fresh, different and exciting the first few times they were employed, but now, they’re just irritants and stink of a lack creativity in an industry that is meant to be swimming with talent.
Although it’s hard to choose, I have managed to narrow down the top five plots I find the most head-smackingly overused.
1. Epic/ village setting
Since 1999 and the success of Igodo, movies with these settings have become ubiquitous. Why? There is no outstanding thought that goes into them. Unlike the movie that started it all, these movies focus on greed, selfishness and the fight for some territory or land. This plot has been milked to the extent that it is drained and saggy. Examples: African Queen, Forest King, Odudu Kingdom, Wisdom Of The Gods, Evil Kingdom and Inale
2. The pretty woman story
Almost everyone has watched the American movie Pretty Woman. A prostitute and a wealthy businessman fall hard for one another, forming an unlikely pair. Now, this plot may not be explicitly depicted in Nollywood movies but you often sense the inspiration. A poor girl meets a rich guy and vice versa and voila we have a string of movies that follows that trend. Why? Our societal decadence is at an all-time high and we know it, so what better way to show the evils of our world than to just continue replicating this plot over and over again. Examples: Domitilla, the Prostitute, Blackberry Babes, Desperate House Girls, 1st Lady.
3. Evil mother in-law
Like I mentioned earlier, our societal decadence is at an all-time high, but plots that have evil mother in-laws in them are not so much societal evils but traditional evils. However, the evil mother-in-law story has been over played and it’s amazing that majority of the roles of evil mother-in-law goes to none other than Patience Ozokwor. Why do we want it to stop? It’s been overdone, it is nauseating. To the extent that some ladies hope that their mother-in-law’s have kicked the bucket before they get hitched. Examples: My Mother My Marriage, Evil Mother-In-Law, Mother-In-Law, Cry of a Mother-In-Law, The Bride is Mean, Mum Dad Meet Sam.
4. Cinderella story
Much like the Pretty Woman plot, this has been over flogged in our industry. Poor girl being maltreated by a step mother, mother-in-law or her sisters and ending up with the man of her dreams is very common in Nigerian movies; so common we need to beg to make it stop. Why is it easy? People are so in love with happy endings. Not that there is anything wrong with happy endings, but when the plot follows this trend consistently, then creativity has basically gone to shreds. Examples: First Lady, Bambilicious, Make a Move, Baby Oku 1 & 2, In Her Shoes.
5. Chick flick
Generally, a chick-flick is a movie targeted at female audiences, typically young women. However, sometimes it feels like we miss the point and then producers decide to throw in two or three other plots in the mix. With the new crop of women producers and directors, there has been an influx of this in the industry. Not sure if I can categorize it as good or bad, but it can get better. Examples: Games Men Play, Weekend Getaway, Lagos Cougar, B4 30, Desperate Housegirls, Sisters At War, Lekki Wives, Lies Men Tell.
Is there any movie plot you would like to see less of? Drop your comments, let’s talk about it.
Efeturi Doghudje is a film critic, with a major focus on Nollywood. She blogs at xplorenollywood.com.
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