Obi Emelonye’s ‘Money Miss Road’ almost misses the mark

Movie Title: “Money Miss Road”

Release date: July 22, 2022

Duration: 95 minutes.

Director: Obi Emelonye

Cast: Jide Kene Achufusi, Melvin Oduah, Josh Alfred, Charly Boy, Anthony Monjaro, Chioma Adibe and others.

The concept of money as the solution to all problems is not foreign to Nigerians.

As a result, there seems to be a race to be the first to ‘make one’, especially among young people.

As has been our reality for centuries, it is no surprise that Nigerian films are nuanced to explore these and other related themes.

Money-miss-road is street language that describes individuals who have stumbled upon wealth and failed to adapt to a personality that matches their new status.

Ground

In this offering led by Obi Emenloye, street fighter Joseph (Jidekene Achufusi) and his manager Josiah (Josh Alfred aka Josh2Funny) are down on their luck in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Joseph finds himself in a hotel and, by chance, gets the wrong room, initially occupied by Diokpa (Charly Boy), where he comes across a huge cache of money.

After stealing and hiding the money, Joseph and his manager are launched into a life they could only dream of hours before.

Diokpa, a wanted baron, sets out to find the duo who fled to Lagos to gorge on their loot. The events that unfold lead to a night of running, jumping, high-speed chasing, and kidnapping.

Exam

For a theme that may be mundane, Emeleonye did her best to make “Money Miss Road” stand out.

While the producers may have taken their “action-comedy” description too far, it was nonetheless a reasonable attempt.

Although fast-paced, “Money Miss Road” is somewhat relaxing and suitable for viewers who want to let loose. But it’s not without its flaws, as pictured below.

1-Nudity in a family-themed plot.

Right off the bat, the film comes across as something a family should see together, especially given the humor and the script.

Josiah has a wife and three daughters whom he abandoned in his quest for the good life. The woman, tired of waiting for her husband, gathers her children and goes in search of their father.

With all of these elements present, somewhere in the film, without warning, the director throws a steamy scene at the viewers.

2-Bad humor game

Some of the scenes intended as humorous fell flat, failing to elicit the expected response from viewers. That’s on top of the fact that most of the actors didn’t deliver.

Charly Boy, for example, failed to deliver a performance worthy of a street baron.

At one point, it felt like Josh2Funny, who had his first appearance in the movie, was the one carrying the movie.

3-Diluted action

The action-adventure tag on “Money Miss Road” is just another promise the film fails to deliver. It can probably have something to do with the fact that Nollywood isn’t at that point where it does the kind of heart-pounding action that Hollywood is famous for.

However, for a film that they say was shot on a shoestring budget, the producers should have focused more on the script.

Conclusion

All in all, if we can look past some of the film’s shortcomings, “Money Miss Road” isn’t a bad movie. Despite its flaws, “Money Miss Road” is a great story with lessons for an audience that seems to have accepted the mantra of get rich or die as a way of life.