“Retarded,” “Gratuitous,” and “Senseless” are only a few of the adjectives used in the Cinema Pointer review of Mike Ezuruonye’s directorial debut Divorce Not Allowed, released back in April. Like his peers taking the responsibility of directing their own movies, Ezuruonye is new in the park but his effort left so much to be desired, given the clout he has gathered in the industry through the years.

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And this readily makes his second movie Lagos Real Fake Life, even before its theatrical release, a subject for harsh intellectual critique. The movie heavily borrows from Divorce Not Allowed with its comic formula but Lagos Real Fake Life suggests that the lessons that should have been learned from Divorce Not Allowed haven’t been learned. The trailer features a cast lineup that coalesce into an amorphous, indistinguishable lump that makes the plot so hard to follow. It’s almost like the characters are roaring from all sides of the frame, with bad zingers and overbearing histrionics.

The movie’s comical components are entrusted on a handful of familiar comedians: Josh2Funny, Nedu, Mark Angel and the popular Emmanuella, whose appearance in the trailer shows her making slightly blank faces that only last for 5 seconds. Essentially, Lagos Real Fake Life portrays the double nature of living in Lagos, the raw, blemished existence sanitised and packaged for approval, and to fit into social circles.

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Other cast members on Lagos Real Fake Life include Mercy Aigbe, Nonso Diobi, Annie Idibia, IK Ogbonna, MC Lively, Efe Irele and Odunlade Adekola, whose latest film The Vendor attracted negative reviews in its opening weekend. Out in theaters on November 16, here’s the trailer for Lagos Real Fake Life below.