What is this film about? 

Picture this: Tomide (played by Timini Egbuson) is a social media influencer and relationship coach. He is in a committed relationship with Imani (played by Bridget Atlanta) and is preparing to propose to her with a beautiful ring that he purchased. But one random night, he gets into an argument at a bar with a lady called Rachael (played by TJ Omusuku). Mistaking them to be a couple fighting in public, bystanders record the argument and share it online, and it goes viral because, ‘how can a relationship coach treat his girlfriend poorly?’

Tomide does not try to address the matter or debunk the allegation that he is a woman beater. He also does not try to say, “no, that’s not my girlfriend” (that’s what a normal person would do, but we don’t do normal over here). The people who know Tomide and his girlfriend do not drop comments to say, “that’s not Tomide’s girlfriend o.”

Even though there is no world where this benefits him or his brand, Tomide and his girlfriend decide that the best way to address the crisis is for Tomide to locate this stranger by all means and plead with her to pretend to be his girlfriend. The plan? They’ll tell the world, “you’re right, she is my girlfriend and I treated her disrespectfully in public, but see, we’re good now, I’m treating her better, and we’re getting brand endorsements!”

Are you alarmed? Don’t be o, it gets even more interesting.

Tomide and the fake girlfriend start a fake relationship. He conveniently forgets to mention to her that he is in a serious relationship. They spend time wearing couple clothes and making content where they don’t really say anything.

Did they share actual cute moments together? No. Did we see them bond? No. Did we see their journey evolve from being strangers to friends to the point where they start liking each other? No. Apparently, those things are unnecessary, so they skipped all of that (showing all of that might help the audience like the characters or be invested in the romance, and the writer and director just couldn’t risk that).

The fake girlfriend is now in love with Tomide. She invites him to an event and fights with him there because, “why was he not getting her signals?!” He apologizes to her, and to show how apologetic he is, he spins her around, pins her to his car, and gives her the cringiest kiss you would ever witness. To further show his sincerity, he goes ahead to have sex with her in his tiny car right in front of the event venue (he even drops her bra outside the car to warn people that something is going on in the car, so they would not disturb them). Unfortunately, they are interrupted by a security guard that just couldn’t mind his business, so they move to another location to complete what they started.

The next morning, he leaves before she wakes (but he drops a message) because sleeping with her gave him clarity that he needed to break up with his “almost fiancé.” Unfortunately, while he is trying to break up, fake girlfriend Rachael knocks on his door. She found his house address and decided to stop by to give her new man his watch that he left behind. She finds out there’s a real girlfriend, she storms off. Tomide and the real girlfriend Imani break up, so she exposes him online through a gossip blog. Due to the backlash, Tomide decides to go off social media. He eventually finds Rachael, asks for her forgiveness, and they lived happily ever after. The end.

An awful script.

So what did i like about this film? 

So what did I like about this film?

Timini.

Timini was Timini. He never changes: it’s the same thing in every movie; talks the same, dresses the same, behaves the same…one size fits all. I am willing to bet he just reads scripts to learn his lines; he does not try to become the character because he’ll just show up as himself every single time, but you know what? It works. At this point, his familiar presence is comforting because when all is not going right, at least you’ll see Timini.

I liked the lighting and setting to a large extent. The film looked quite colorful, and that looked good.

Issues?

The story made no sense. 

Then the storytelling was really flawed because, for a romcom, it was not funny and it was definitely not romantic.

They gave us unlikeable characters. We could not cheer for them; we could not root for them. Is it Tomide, who was cheating on his girlfriend with a girl he did not even like, a girl who had done nothing to earn his affection? Or Imani who was just acting nonchalant? Or the fake girlfriend who was just there? Yes, she was hustling and taking care of her father but the storytelling was so off, I just could not root for her. 

There was no connection between all of them: not Timini and Bridget Atlanta, not Timini and TJ Omusuku. It was an unbelievable love story. The actors themselves did not believe it enough to be in it 100%. Tomide and Racheal’s meeting was so cringe, and things didn’t get better as the film progressed because even the scene where they kissed and eventually had sex was not nice.

Quick lesson: A beautiful make-out scene in a romance film is never just about the act itself. It’s about anticipation. It’s not just about jamming lips, please! It’s the tension that quietly accumulates scene by scene up until that point that makes it worth it: The yearning!

I promise you that I have watched films where handholding made you sigh and feel giddy with excitement. When done properly, that physical connection (whatever form it takes) feels like a payoff, a release the audience has been waiting for.

In this way, a make-out scene becomes a storytelling device, not just a physical one. It should mark a turning point in the romance. What they did in Reel Love, was frustrating. It felt disrespectful, unearned, unnecessary, and ultimately did nothing for the film.

Moving on, conflict is very important in storytelling. For most romance movies, the conflict tests the relationship, it gives the story depth, and when they overcome it, it makes the entire journey worth it. The conflict in the film should have ended the whole thing because what do you mean he had a whole girlfriend and still slept with Rachael? (Before someone says it happens in real life, that’s why I’m watching a film: not a day in the life of a TikTok girl in a toxic relationship).

Acting was not bad at all, but casting did not work for me. I saw TJ  Omusuku for the first time in the film, and I thought she did really well interpreting her role as Rachael. I also thought Bridget Atlanta’s performance was not bad , but the casting was just off. I honestly can’t say TJ Omusuku was the best person for the role; it did not quite work for me. I’m curious to know what they saw that made them decide she was the one for the role, but I know I did not see it.

Dakore’s role was funny to me because, it was screaming “I’m just here for moral support”. She just appeared in her empty house with green walls, giving off key advice up and down.

The actor that played the role of Imani’s father was also funny to me. His acting was not all that but his attitude just made me laugh because why are you sitting and talking like that? Are you a deity?

Funke Akindele and Timini worked as mother and son surprisingly, and I liked their scene.

Efa Iwara… my God will give him a big break in 2026! He is too talented to be acting these kinds of roles. You can’t believe I completely forgot he was in the movie until he suddenly popped up towards the end.

The editing in this film was weird; it just seemed like they cut out scenes, and it caused gaps. Also, there were some scenes where actors were not really in frame. For example, the scene where Imani was with her friends: while it was painful to watch because those ladies could not act, I was stressed because they kept on cutting out that girl wearing blue. Sometimes we’ll see some part of her head, her hand, then she’ll push her head forward, struggling to be in the frame. It was hectic.

Let me bring this review to an end by mentioning some tiny things that stressed me. Why were they driving without seatbelts?! I was so stressed. That’s not safe in real life; it’s even worse on a film set because anything can go wrong.

The house where they had sex: whose house was it? Whose house? It was not Tomide’s house; it was definitely not Rachel’s house because she did not have a place of her own. Maybe it was an Airbnb? But then where did Rachael get a change of clothes the next morning if it was just a random Airbnb where they crashed? She had a new handbag waiting for her downstairs; she had a full face of makeup, meaning she had access to her makeup products. Tomide was also wearing a fresh set of clothes. So where was that place?! Logically, they should both have worn the same outfits from the night before out of that house… tiny details!

I did not like the beginning and ending of the film so of course I did not like the way it ended either. From the point where Tomide was shouting to see Rachael to the scene where they eventually met and spoke, it was a big no; throw everything away. Reel Love is one of those movies where you honestly doubt if they can live happily ever after because live happily based on what exactly? No common ground, no shared values, no friendship, no trust. You don’t need a relationship coach to tell you that’s not right.

The entire end from the point where he was shouting to see her and when they eventually met and spoke? A big no, throw everything away. Reel love is one of those movies where you honestly doubt if they can live happily ever after because live happily based on what exactly? No common ground, no shared values, no friendship, no trust. You don’t need a relationship coach to tell you that’s not right. 

Believe it or not, the best romance movies leave a lingering feeling: hope, ache, or warmth. It depends but that emotional resonance is what makes people rewatch the film over and over again. At the end of the film, I just felt like fighting somebody because what was that?!!

Overall, Reel Love is a poorly thought-out romance movie. If the foundation be destroyed, what can Timini do? It was based on an annoying and utterly unconvincing relationship there wasn’t much the actors could do. Terrible script, poor directing, characters with no connection, lazy storytelling, flawed pacing, and an uninspiring ending.

Rating: 1.5/10

Read the review of A Lagos Love Story here.

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