by Chioma Ezekobe

Film Title: A christmas Passion

DSTV Channel: 128

A Charles Novia movie

MNET is sprinting on a track we barely know anything about. It beats my imagination why a Christmas movie was shown in this rainy month of May but anyway, here is a review of A Christmas Passion.

Passion (Kate Henshaw) is engaged to Biodun (Charles Novia), whom she thinks is more globe-trotter than boyfriend. You know – the kind of man who is everything but really “there” for you. Christmas (Desmond Elliot), is a server at a restaurant who falls in love at first sight with Passion, a regular customer. Dina (Caroline Danjuma, who is a big woman now and difficult to cast coz of her busy acting schedule made an applauded appearance here especially for those who have missed her mammy water fair skin) is the third person in this love triangle, in love with Christmas.

The movie opens at the restaurant, and Passion storms out in anger because her fiancée cancelled a dinner date where he was supposed to meet with her family for the first time. She has an accident witnessed by Christmas, who then rushes her to the hospital. When she regains consciousness, we discover that she has lost her memory. Passion’s sister mistakes Christmas for Biodun when he drops by to visit – seeing as the family have never met the boyfriend – a mistake he does nothing to correct. Haven’t we seen this Sandra Bullock movie before?

My disgust began to heighten from here. Her parents are so grateful to him they offer him a place in their house, a job, and a car. That was plain stupid and an abuse on our common sense. Who does that?! We even see her mom and sister peeping at them during a romantic dance and a kiss, and giggling.

Christmas plays along and pretends to be Biodun. His colleagues (Funke Akindele and Caroline Danjuma especially) all have varying opinions about the game he is playing. Passion’s younger sister begins to eye him and makes it clear to him that he is so cute she doesn’t mind ‘sharing with Passion’. Gross.

The movie climaxes when the real Biodun returns on Christmas (the holiday, not the person) eve and tries to reach Passion. Christmas’ colleague comments “Na im be say wahala don get double ‘k’ leg.” That line also summarises the movie.

I don’t know how on earth the script writer penned a scene showing us Passion and Biodun at dinner, Passion denying him (due to memory loss) and Passion’s sister walking into the same restaurant and catching the fancy of Biodun. This is what I call desperate coincidence. Eventually, Passion’s sister conveniently gets her hands on information that Christmas is the fake Biodun.

Did Passion regain her memory? What happened when her family realised one Biodun was counterfeit?

The movie spends too much time meandering. For instance, there is Dina, whom the movie spent too much time trying to give a new love interest. We are not interested; that’s is why there are lead actors and supporting actors. I repeat: We don’t care about the trajectory of her love life.

DSTV, please don’t play this film again. Maybe this week will bring better movies, but who knows?

This movie gets a 5/10 (out of the magnanimity of my very kind heart).