Christmas in Lagos falls short of the standard expected of a typical Christmas rom-com. The story noticeably drifts away from its festive backdrop, lacks heartfelt portrayals, and takes on more subplots than the production can effectively manage.
By Fejiro Sagua
A highly anticipated part of the festive season is Christmas-themed movies: the comedies, the dramas, and, most notably, the romcoms. In Nigeria, many people look forward to spending time with family and friends, enjoying a home-cooked Christmas meal, and binge-watching these feel-good films.
These movies often help viewers unwind while strengthening bonds, as they explore themes such as love, relationships, and family through light-hearted, mostly predictable, but heartwarming stories.
Nollywood, however, has not been late to the party, taking cinemas, streaming platforms, and even YouTube by storm with Christmas-themed family dramas and romcoms.
Among Nollywood’s 2024 repertoire of Christmas-themed films is Jade Osiberu’s highly anticipated Christmas in Lagos, released on Prime Video on 20 December 2024.
Starring Teniola Aladese, Shaffy Bello, Wale Ojo, Richard Mofe Damijo, Raxyia Ojo, Shalom Obiago, Obinna Okenwa, and Ebele Okaro, Christmas in Lagos follows various characters as they navigate their considerably complicated love lives.
Christmas in Lagos opens with a brief tour of Lagos at Christmas, showcasing the glamorously decorated streets of highbrow Lagos Island and the joyous hustle and bustle of the city’s suburbs, accompanied by a narrator reflecting on what makes Christmas in Lagos special. This introduction subtly highlights “Detty December,” a period renowned for its parties and Afrobeat concerts.
We are soon introduced to the main character, Fiyin (Teniola Aladese), driving her red convertible Benz to the airport to pick up her cousin, Ivie (Rayxia Ojo), and her best friend, Elo (Shalom Obiago), who are arriving from the US and UK, respectively.
Caught in Lagos’ infamous traffic, she hops on a video call with her single mother, Gbemi (Shaffy Bello), who is aboard a private jet owned by an old “friend”. Gbemi recounts how they’d unexpectedly run into each other a few days prior.
From here, the story unfolds with a series of dramatic events, including budding romances, heartbreaks, closures, and goodbyes.
Christmas in Lagos scores high marks for its portrayal of “Detty December.” The concerts, Christmas carol service, and the “IJGB” (an acronym for “I Just Got Back”) phenomenon—represented by Ivie and Elo as Nigerians returning home for the festive season—make the story highly relatable.
However, the film suffers significantly from glaring flaws, beginning with a major detour in its plot. The story veers so far from its Christmas theme that it could easily be retitled Detty December in Lagos, as the concerts, events, and romantic escapades almost entirely overshadow the festive element.
Christmas is only prominently depicted over an hour into the film, during the carol service at the church, after its presence in the opening scenes.
While it is true that Christmas romcoms are often light-hearted and not deeply layered, Christmas in Lagos provides very little substance, even for its genre. The film shares an uncanny resemblance with the archetypal “IJGB” character—building anticipation for exciting romances but only scratching the surface in exploring them.
In between Fiyin’s delusion of her best friend, Elo, being her one true love, Ivie the IJGB girl falling for the Lagos-born-and-bred musician, Ajani (Ladipo “Ladipoe” Esho), after writing Lagos off as “the city of breakfast”, Gbemi’s love triangle between Zach (Richard Mofe Damijo) and Toye (Wale Ojo), and Elo and Yagazie (Angel Anosike) who found love in each other in their times of grief, there were exciting and dramatic stories to be explored.
Rather, the production barely scratches the love triangle’s surface, hyper-focuses on the main character, and simply brushes past the rest, making the film underwhelming and uneventful.
Similarly, the second scene, which showcases the Lagos suburbs and introduces us to Ladi (Tris Udeh), the domestic staff at Fiyin’s mother’s house, feels abandoned. One might expect this scene to signal a subplot set in that neighbourhood or suggest that Ladi’s role would have more significance in the overarching story. However, this too is wrongfully brushed aside, leaving yet another loose end in the film.
Another drawback of Christmas in Lagos is the mediocre performances and unnecessary additions. The “new faces” the director had hinted at earlier in the year, when announcing her upcoming projects, including Christmas in Lagos, delivered stiff and uninspiring performances. This leaves viewers uncertain as to whether the roles themselves lacked depth or the actors simply fell short of expectations.
One particularly unnecessary addition is the French chef, played by Eku Edewor. Her sole scene, where she awkwardly struggles to communicate in English that the vehicle delivering the food has been in an accident, is not only irrelevant to the plot but also rather irritating and, as Gen Z would describe it, “cringe”.
Lastly, the portrayal of highbrow Lagos was poorly executed. While the rich and famous in Lagos are often seen in flashy and fancy attire, it is unrealistic to depict them dressed extravagantly in the comfort of their own homes. For instance, Zach had no reason to be adorned in elaborate traditional wear when Gbemi was simply stopping by for a visit.
Christmas in Lagos falls short of the standard expected of a typical Christmas rom-com. The story noticeably drifts away from its festive backdrop, lacks heartfelt portrayals, and takes on more subplots than the production can effectively manage.
Rating 1.5/5
Christmas in Lagos is streaming on Prime Video.
Fejiro Sagua is a writer and film enthusiast who loves diving into the world of movies. She’s always on the lookout for great stories and new films to watch. When she’s not busy writing or watching movies, you can find her reading books, at the gym, creating content, or having interesting conversations with friends, family, or even strangers. You can get in touch with her on Instagram (@fejiro_sagua) and X (@bigbadfae).
The plot and characters lacked depth