Finding Hubby 2 is a movie that truly exposes the difficulty of finding a good mate in Lagos. And I tell you we can’t really take a break from rom-coms in Nollywood, can we? We are, once again, on a search for an eligible husband for a high flying career woman and her friends in the shark-infested marriage pool of Lagos. It’s a dangerous place to be, filled with twists and turns. So, hold on for dear life. Or not.
Finding Hubby 2 is the Femi D. Ogunsanwo sequel to Finding Hubby, a rom-com movie inspired by a blog series of the same name written by Tunde Leye. It follows Oyin Clegg (Ade Laoye) a 35-year old successful woman who has it all, except a husband. She is accompanied by her two friends Toke (Kehinde Bankole) and Gloria (Munachi Abii) who also have huge pitfalls in their love lives.
Finding Hubby Trailer. Credit: African Cinema Trailer|YouTube
Where the first part ends, Oyin has just found out that her super rich, from-a-billionaire-family fiancé Yomi Kester-Jacobs (Paul Utomi) is bi. She finds out by catching him with another man. Meanwhile, Gloria admits that she has been seeing Ossy (Charles Etubiebi), Oyin’s work colleague who was previously obsessed with her. When we meet Oyin again, she is stuck in a choice. Stay with Yomi and become richer than her wildest dreams or leave him and chase the storied fairy tale romance. It’s not an easy choice to make but a visit from her ex (Efa Iwara) pushes her towards Yomi and takes what should be a simple love story to a train wreck.
The plot here is a bit lackluster. It might be because the story itself saves a lot of the story telling for these big exposition scenes and in between, nothing much happens. It’s a bit of a drag. Bad enough that one could skip scenes and not miss much. There are spots of attempted humour, which make the film a bit easy on the eyes.
The acting wasn’t that bad. Ade Laoye as Oyin is personable. Kehinde Bankole as the ever supportive friend with a heart of gold and a wit of steel is also a fun watch on screen. Gloria might get lost in the background a bit, which is no fault of Munachi Abii but rather, I think, the fault of the writers who hid her for some pivotal scenes in the story so that when it is finally revealed that she’s suffering from domestic violence, the audience is detached.
The cinematography is good. The switch between scenes and clever use of a breaking the fourth wall style narrative is one of the few high points of the film.
There are always flaws and this film is no exception. Firstly, Oyin who is written as world wise and successful, seems to ignore the fact that her fiancé Yemi cheated on her and instead hyper focuses on the fact that he’s bi. It begs the question of whether if he had cheated on her with a woman, she would have been quicker to forgive him? It’s 2022, and we are still telling stories about other sexualities like it’s something to gape at, not to mention for most of the movie characters constantly misplace bi-sexuality as being gay. They are not the same thing. There was a huge missed opportunity to explain that.
The story also feels dragged out. There are a lot of filler scenes. A lot of plot decisions don’t make sense, such as at the wedding when Ossy protests and Yomi immediately owns up to it. This is a man who spends most of the beginning of the movie pleading with Oyin to marry him. He suddenly has what he wants, it’s not like Ossy shows up with live footage to back his accusations. He could have just brushed it off and kicked the man out but, instead, he just shrugs and walks away. Really?
While the movie has its hang ups, there’s a sweetness to it. Underneath it all, it’s a tale of three women navigating the madness Lagos together, through hell and high water. It has its flaws but it is ultimately saved by that.
You can watch Finding Hubby 2 on Netflix.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
