KFB Movie! So I finally watched Rita Dominic's "The Meeting"...she incredibly nailed it!!!

Wow, wow, wow...I'm still basking in the euphoria of being amongst the first to actually own a copy of the special limited edition of the much-talked movie 'The Meeting'.

Have you ever seen a movie that got you smiling, laughing and clapping at the end and then having you rewind back to the very beginning and watching again...lol, that's what happened when I saw 'the meeting'! ...I'm not exactly a fan of very long movies but I sat down to watch the 2hours, 10mins long 'The Meeting" and then played it again...lol
Our movie of the week is "The Meeting"!

 
'The Meeting' is an amazing movie...it has the best story and script/screenplay I've seen in Nollywood for a long time, and is certainly the best romantic comedy.


Cast: Rita Dominic,  Linda Ejiofor, Femi Jacobs, Jide Kosoko,  Kate Henshaw, Basorge Tariah Jnr, Nse Ikpe-Etim, and Chinedu Ikedieze.
Director: Mildred Okwo
Producer: Rita Dominic 

You see, The Meeting (a romantic comedy) is the kind of movie that makes you laugh just so it can stop you from crying. In the space of two hours, the movie manages to show the problems of Nigeria writ large. From the power situation to red tapes, from abuse of power to corruption.
On a Monday morning, Makinde Esho (Femi Jacobs), an uptight corporate executive based in Lagos, Nigeria, flies into Abuja, the capital city for a few hours, having been despatched by his communications firm, Techmast, to secure a government authorization to build a mast sub-station from the Honourable Minster of Land Resources & Environment. 
 
Mr. Esho wants only two things, keep his boss (Jide Kosoko) happy by getting the authorization from the Minister and keep his only daughter Kikelomo (Kehinde Bankole) happy by attending her graduation ceremony at the University of Lagos....however the meeting with the minister doesn't turn out the way he had anticipated!


The movie starts with Makinde (a 45 year old widower) landing at the Abuja airport and having to give a lift to a 25 year old youth corper, Ejura (Linda Ejifor) who promises to be as quiet as a mouse, but ends up talking a mile a minute during the ride. While his character Makinde Esho or (Mr M like she naughtily calls him) expresses an initial distaste for her, it is fun to watch as he slowly falls for her irresistible forwardness.

He gives her his card when she asks, drops her off and proceeds for his meeting...btw,

 Ejura is in an abusive relationship with a certain Jolomi.

Well, after Makinde Esho, receives his baptism of fire (at the reception with Clara) in a bid to meet the Minister of Lands, he is forced to stay back a few more days in Abuja.

 

Ejura ends up becoming his only friend in Abuja, becoming the companion he needs in a city, she keeps him company for the few days he was forced to spend in Abuja...and whoop, they fall in love despite their age difference!

Ejura (Linda Ejiofor) and Makinde (Femi Jacobs) have a chemistry that draws you in, delivering their dialogue with perfect timing and great acting...Linda has this beautiful smile and laughter...
I almost got carried with their acting at some point especially the scene where Makinde sang Chris Okotie's 'I need Somebody' love song...that's my favourite scene by the way!  Also, listening to their comparison of Lagos and Abuja argument is exciting.

Clara, Rita Dominic's character, also added color to the movie. She is the gate-keeper to one of Nigeria's federal ministers in Abuja, and she holds the key to who sees him or not. 

She has this ugly sagging skin, drooping lids, bad hair and thick Owerri accent, plus she is annoyingly funny, brash, mean, solicitous, and very opportunistic...Rita incredibly played the role so well, if you ask me I'l say it's her best movie role so far! 

When she tells the policemen to shoot Makinde Esho at the tail end of the movie, you can’t help but laugh and yet empathise with her
"Please sir, let them shoot him small. Just small," she begs the minister.

She is a goddess who must be appeased with sacrifices that range from recharge cards to soft drinks to cash. With the Minister and important visitors, she is a grovelling civil servant making all the right noises and sounds while with Bolarinwa (Nse Ikpe Etim), she becomes a whimpering dog trying to please. 

Nse Ikpe (Bolarinwa) is a high class girlfriend to the minister, you really have to see her in this role, so different from most of the others I've seen her in.

 

Beyond the political satire of Clara, is the comedy of each and every character that had a speaking role. 

The most hilarious is Mrs Kachikwu, an ingratiating gossip who does all she can to get on Clara's good side. Her 'juice and sucking of account' joke was hilarious!

Kate Henshaw's Mrs Ikomi will also do what needs to be done (e.g wearing an ibo attire that she's not comfortable in to please Clara, lol) to get her way. 
There is more but you need to watch this movie to find out who is who and what they do.
Thumbs up: The subtitle was well done though it was missing in thescene, where Clara was praising ‘Rinwa (Bolarinwa – Nse Ikpe-Etim), the background music was great, the picture quality was fantastic too. I also love the Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo culture mix!
The Meeting which ends on a romantic note, is a feel good and well paced movie that will have audiences laughing but this does not mean that it is perfect.

Here are my issues with the movie. The one-man show during the graduation of Makinde’s daughter clearly negates proceedings during convocations...also the Hajia (the hausa woman in the movie) did not interpret her role well enough, she's a poor actress...and yes, students can instantly tell that the film’s final scene was lifted straight off the Julia Roberts- Richard Gere classic, ‘Pretty woman’, complete with the final line of dialogue about some prince rescuing the princess right back...it's still a great movie btw!

 You can obtain your copy of the DVD for just N500...you can also watch movie trailer HERE!