Everything I loved about the Nollywood movie, Sugar Rush

Sugar Rush tells the story of the three Sugar sisters who discover a bag of $800,000, and run into a series of unfortunate events with the EFCC and other shady groups who are trying to get their hands on the money. The comedy features an all star cast including Adesua Etomi, Bisola Aiyeola, Bimbo Ademoye, Banky Wellington, Tobi Bakre, Omoni Oboli, Lateef Adedimeji, Mawuli Gavor, Toke Makinwa, Jide Kosoko, Uzor Arukwe and Williams Uchemba. The movie is now available to watch on Netflix.

Let’s talk about all the things I enjoyed about the movie. I understand that these reviews are quite subjective so disclaimer, this is my opinion!

Humor

I started laughing from the very first scene until the last. The movie was hilarious, it wasn’t forced humour. A combination of Bimbo Ademoye and Bisola Aiyeola is a problem. I laughed every time they opened their mouths. If you speak Yoruba, you’ll get the full dose of comedy from this movie. I loved the fact that, in the midst of all the humour, the story was not lost.

My favorite scene was when Shola and Susie found the bag of money and they came up with different reasons why it wasn’t stealing and then Bisola prayed for the dead bodies before they left. 🤣

Fashion

I think the wardrobe manager was very deliberate about everything that was worn in the movie. From Tobi Bakre’s Danfo shirt, to Adesua’s blue pant suit, to everything Toke wore, every outfit was suited to every scene.

What about the flawless makeup? The wigs on Bimbo Ademoye? Absolutely perfect.

Toke’s outfit in the scene where she kidnaps the Sugar sisters made her look like Maleficent , a real badass— great choice.

The Cast

Great casting!

All the characters complemented each other, especially the Sugar sisters, they had a special bond — Adesua was the perfect stuck up first born child, Bimbo Ademoye the perfect silly last born with a fake Instagram lifestyle and Bisola the perfect middle child with the silliest ideas.

I love Bimbo Ademoye and I’m extremely excited that she (+ her banging body) is getting great exposure in Nollywood.

Toke, although not the most fantastic actress, was a good enough trophy girlfriend, trying to reap from where she did not sow. I believe the choice was deliberate.

Bankyy! I loved the whole ginger look. You know I have a soft spot for gingers 🤧 🥰 Anikulapo was the real King Kong, Ekun fun fun, the white lion. The whole theatrics oh my gosh.

Iya rainbow did a fab job as usual. Tobi was also the perfect wasteman.

Uzor Arukwe? My guyyyyy!!! Sweet chocolate igbo king. I’ve seen this man in different roles and he kills it every single time.

We appreciate Mawuli’s hotness I guess this is why we cannot see how “not so great” he is at acting. But why must he always “off shirt”? Is there any movie where Mawuli is not naked? We need to see him in more movies so we can help him keep fit.

Too many beautiful people in this movie, I couldn’t cope.

Let’s talk about how Williams Uchemba is wasting his talent by focusing on comedy. This man literally grew up in Nollywood and has had all this time to develop his craft, only to end up putting himself in a box? I mean, he was fantastic as a child actor so imagine what he can do now. He’s funny, yes indeed he is but we need to see him doing something different from that annoying voice, he has so much potential.

The Story

I’m a sucker for realistic Nigerian stories. The story was very realistic — politicians steal money, Lagos girls “fake it till you make it” and living lavish off someone else’s money, etc. Another film that highlights a massive problem that we have in Nigeria — dirty thieving politicians! The “fake it till you make it” attitude of some Lagos girls was well portrayed in the movie. Look at the tactical ways that Shola and Susie used to get “free” cash and invitations to an exclusive party.

According to my friend, Rose, the movie correctly portrayed the EFCC as the incompetent, confused, ignorant, corrupt and abusive group they are. I share the same sentiments! That stake out was jokes. They stayed outside the target’s home and didn’t even realize the people inside had been dead for hours.

Cinematography

The movie was picture perfect. My favorite shot was the one of Andy (Tobi Bakre) running with the bag of money across the praying Muslims, etc.

I really appreciated the shots of Banky W dodging those bullets, the invisible car, the burning car, people walking through walls — so seamless! We have come a long way in Nollywood, we really have. This was a welcome development.

This was one movie where the brand placements weren’t so obvious, they blended in well with the scenes — I noticed Coca Cola and Moët.

All the shots merged well with each other.

Kudos to Jade Osiberu and Bunmi Ajakaiye for writing this. I believe Bunmi Ajakaiye also writes Skinny Girl in Transit. A brilliant writer!

I think Nigerian movies need to continue to focus more on telling our own authentic stories rather than ambitious American/Western stories that are totally not our reality. I rate it 8/10.