Do you know what Coming 2 America and Chief Daddy 2 have in common? What immediately comes to mind is unnecessary sequels that shouldn’t have been made. Quite a harsh criticism you might say. But then, if you have seen their more illustrious prequels, you will agree the verdict was fairer than, “Go to jail, move directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect any 200 pounds” that would have been slammed on the producers of those movies by the board game, Monopoly.
Talking about monopoly, Chief Daddy: Going for Broke, broke Irving Fisher’s definition of the word as simply an ‘absence of competition’. The film’s running time of 1hr 53 minutes is in direct competition of doing something more worthwhile. It was so frustrating and confusing to see that there was no coherence in the roles of the characters and the storyline.
Do you want to understand my confusion?
Okay, imagine your mother introducing you as her “daughter-in-law’s husband”.
Confused?
Yeah, right.
That was the state of confusion the characters and the storyline left me in. And one could be forgiven for concluding that the screenwriters – Mo Abudu, Hiedi Uys, Bode Asiyanbi, and Salah Sabiti – did not watch the original version of the film.
In simple terms, Chief Daddy 2 was painful to watch. However, here are five ways to avoid yet another pain from watching a sequel.
Be wary when a sequel (or any other movie at that) is star-studded
A movie with lead casts like Funke Akindele-Bello, Joke Silva, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, Rahama Sadau, Shaffy Bello, Mawuli Gavor, Beverly Naya, Falz, Linda Ejiofor, Beverly Osu, Ini Edo, Broda Shaggy, Uzor Arukwe, Zainab Balogun, Rachel Oniga, Nedu Wazobia, and Chigul smells like too many cooks spoiling the broth. Despite all the stars, none shone through as the lead roles played by the stars were reduced to nothing short of upcoming performances.
Let’s use some examples. In the original version of the movie, Remi Castle was a sound and respected lawyer. Nobody told us how she was reduced to a dumb and spineless member of the family in the sequel. Also, we had no idea why Dami Baggio and Ireti abandoned their seemingly kind nature in the 2018 edition of the movie and ended up opposite of who they were.
The producer, Mo Abudu, never bothered to tell us how Tinu and Teni ended up having a joint business with Nike Williams. She left out the juicy part on how the duo ended up in a love triangle with the lawyer.
Ini Edo, Nkem Owoh, and Patience Ozokwor were almost non-existent in this sequel. Thank God for Falz, who despite his talent was wasted on the confusing script, made sure most viewers didn’t give up on the movie 20 minutes into it. One should also applaud the opening few minutes when Kannywood star, Rahama Sadau, made her entry.
Ask yourself the need for the sequel in the first place
Before going to the cinema or downloading an original or pirated copy of a sequel, rewatch or take your mind back to the first installment. Ask yourself if there are areas of the movie a sequel might do justice to in making it clearer and interesting.
Released in 2018, Chief Daddy, tells the not-so-unique but hilarious story of a deceased wealthy man, Chief Daddy, whose numerous concubines and children fight for his inheritance. It was a fan-favourite back then so it wasn’t a surprise that anticipation trailed the news of the release of a sequel, where they struggle to claim his wealth continues.
The setup and publicity were aimed at pushing the narrative that the sequel of one of the biggest Nollywood movies of 2018, is a must-watch. After asking yourself several questions and being able to hazard some guesses, you will know if Chief Daddy 2 or any sequel, is a must-avoid.
Read movie reviews
Most reviews of movies might be killjoys, but for the sake of the opportunity cost in deciding to watch a sequel or not, we advise you to take such reviews seriously.
Don’t ignore a comment like this: “If asked to describe Chief Daddy 2, we would say it’s a pointless, repetitive, and incredibly predictable sequel that leaves the viewer utterly confused and angry”.
Or this headline that says…
Chief Daddy: “Going for Broke, a bad start for Nollywood in 2022”
One reviewer even took time to highlight the shortcomings of the movie…
The original was unique, hilarious, and irresistibly entertaining, but the 2022 version of the movie was a complete flop.
The movie falls short of a storyline and a focus, the sub-storylines were too many, and some seemed unnecessary.
Some stunts in the movie were entirely not necessary and so was the entire trip to Dubai and the cliched Dubia sub storyline.
It seemed as though the producers were in a hurry to make a sequel rather than create a solid and believable storyline.
For Twitter user @I_Am_Winter, “Chief Daddy 2 is such an embarrassment to Nollywood.”
Another Twitter user @Innanoshe calls the film “an atrocious hodgepodge of terrible acting and directing and ghastly writing.”
Only a die-hard movie buff or an entertainment journalist will still go ahead and see this movie after reading those discouraging comments!
Take what the producer of the movie says with a pinch of salt
Producers aren’t really liars but they do tell great stories in, erm, fascinating manner! It’s not about what viewers or would-be viewers need, it’s what they want to hear. So, no one should blame the film’s producer and EbonyLife boss, Mo Abudu, for celebrating the movie as “the number 1 in Nigeria today” on Netflix, when it was released.
She knew the power of telling stories in a low-trust world. And this strategy worked well for the movie. And a Twitter user (@IfeanyiOlabode), agreed.
“This Chief Daddy 2 strategy is working. Make an unbelievably terrible movie, make everyone talk about it. Make everyone want to watch it to confirm it’s terrible,” the user tweeted.
However, Mo Abudu and her EbonyLIfe Studios production crew score an A in the cinematography as the locations speak luxury, the costume and the entire production quality were top-notch.
Lower your expectations
We are not saying you are a descendant of Thomas. We are not also calling you Doubting Thomas. But after reading the reviews and ignoring our advice about a producer’s penchant for praising her movie, you have to lower your expectations if you still decide to see the film.
Have it in the back of your mind that the movie, like every other sequel, can only be a fairly good attempt to correlate the first released version and the latest edition you are about to see. And don’t be disappointed if those attempts only create more problems for everyone associated with the movie – including you.
Conclusion
‘Chief Daddy: Going for broke’ is no match to ‘Chief Daddy’. It wouldn’t have been this glaring, though. This gap in quality wouldn’t have been a chasm if the three-year interval between both films had been used by the brains behind it for research. This would have made the connection to the much-loved prequel possible with the sequel. It would have satisfied the fans’ unquenchable taste for a quality entertainment and made it impossible for us to tow this line of writing.
Chief Daddy may not be a spectacle like Coming to America, but it was not as cringeworthy as Chief Daddy: Going for broke and Coming 2 America. If there was ever an ignoble award for the most unnecessary sequels ever made, both movies would jostle for the first place.
The competition will be fierce but I won’t go broke if I place a bet!