‘A Lagos Love Story’ gave us little of what could have been more

By Itoro Oladokun

Everywhere I turned, it was A Lagos Love Story that gave life to conversations. I was too eager to watch and get loved up—and I sure did, in a way—but it seems the producer didn’t want us to have enough. It was a ‘stingy’ storyline that could have been so much more. Many amazing subplots and twists were buried in the film.

The star-studded cast of A Lagos Love Story includes Jemima Osunde, Mike Afolarin, Susan Pwajok,Uti Nwachukwu, Chimezie Imo, Uche Montana, Veeiye, Ihuoma Linda Ejiofor, and Ibrahim Suleiman, among others. The film is directed by Chinaza Onuzo and written by Ozzy Etomi and Naz Onuzo.

Synopsis

Hired to plan a big festival in Lagos, Promise, a ‘trench’, unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with Kator, an Afrobeats star and headline act of the event.

The strong highlights of the film

One of the strong highlights of A Lagos Love Story was definitely the characters. Everyone understood their roles and played them with utmost realism. Kator, the Afrobeats artiste, played by Mike Afolarin, did so well that I literally had to check if he wasn’t Asake. He was just too real. Promise and Favour made the sibling bond very relatable. Fadekemi projected the typical “rich and always bitter” personality perfectly.

Another thing that stood out for me was the costume design. I loved every outfit! From Kator’s clothes and hair to Fadekemi’s accessories and down to Favour’s style—everything just made sense. It honestly felt like every costume was intentional and added a layer of personality to the characters.

Adanna and Fadekemi’s looks were equally polished, matching the elegance, demure and sophistication of their characters. Overall, the costumes weren’t just stylish—they were thoughtfully curated, and no look felt out of place. And that level of attention to detail was applaudable.

Furthermore, the film’s setting deserves praise, especially during the concert scenes. A lot of effort clearly went into making those moments feel real—from the crowd shouting, dancing, and singing along with King Kator, to the overall stage design. The trenches setting for the music video, the fireworks party, and the local restaurant scenes also felt authentic.

One detail that made A Lagos Love Story even more realistic was the danfo Promise boarded to get to the event at the beginning of the film. I also loved the scene where Kator walked on the street to Eko Hotels—typical Mallams and area boys were there, selling and hustling. These scenes added realism and grounded the film in a familiar Lagos atmosphere.

The performances were another highlight. Mike Afolarin fully owned his role as King Kator—his mannerisms, presence, and delivery made him completely believable as an artiste. He truly embodied the character and gave a standout performance. Honestly, no one felt out of place; every actor delivered in a way that suited their role, which was quite laudable.

The cinematography and soundtrack were also on point. I loved how Ayra Starr’s Lagos Love Story complemented the film. The visuals were stunning, with well-executed camera angles that enhanced the storytelling. It was also impressive that Kator’s own songs were recorded and featured as part of the soundtrack.

The weak highlights of the film

The major shortfall of A Lagos Love Story lies in its storyline. From the overly dramatic “Bollywood-style” fall in the beginning, it was easy to predict where the plot was headed. I knew right from that fall that they were the main characters—and that the ‘haters’ would soon turn lovers. I even started giving them lines in my head before they acted them out. There were no real twists, just a reliance on familiar romantic tropes and it was too predictable.

I mean, I expected Promise to reject the ₦20 million proposal from Mayowa (Uti Nwachukwu), but no! She actually came back and accepted it without even blinking? That killed it.

Also, since Promise and Favour were portrayed as coming from the trenches, why was their makeup saying otherwise?

Then there was Uti’s character getting angry over Kator’s head injury caused by a fan. That anger could have been justified with a proper subplot, but nothing! Why did the big, tall guy allow Promise to see Kator at the hospital? Why wasn’t Promise’s father, a young man, able to take on jobs? Was it just diabetes? Did Favour sign the deal? What happened to Promise’s mother that led to a ₦20 million tax debt in Nigeria? These are major plot points, but the story brushed past them.

Characters like Fadekemi and Achike were also underdeveloped. Were they music promoters, managers, or label owners? What exactly was the risk for Kator if he left the contract because he said he cancelled a show to perform there? The film never clarified. And were we supposed to deduce that Fadekemi’s P.A. was a non-conformist sex identity? If so, it was left too vague to make a meaningful impact.

Even the friendship arc between Adanna and Favour, which started strong, was left unresolved. After the contract drama, nothing was said about how Favour handled it. Did she sign? Did it affect her career? These unfinished threads felt like missed opportunities that could have added depth and made the story more memorable.

I loved the costume and the cast, but the storyline gave us little of the subplots that could have added more flesh, action and sweet memories to the main plot of the story. Hence, our rating for A Lagos Love Story is 6/10.