Everyday, mothers all over the world make sacrifices, give their lives literally for their kids. No wonder we have a million mother’s day in a 365 day calendar year. In this blockbuster, Omoni Oboli, yet again puts this to our faces. There’s no limit to how far a mother can go for her children.

At the beginning we meet Ebube (Omoni Oboli), rich and all highbrow. To her, her neighbor Olaide (Funke Akindele) is nothing but a local champion who by some luck made some money and now wants to feel among. “Who brought you to Lagos? You don’t belong here.” She yelled while pulling her hair in the pool, in one of the scenes. Olaide on the other hand is not moved, ^she matches her madness, breath for breath.

In what we may term a twist of fate, both their kids qualify for the Young Scholars program at Keswick high school. This is where the real drama begins, desperation meets love. Both women will break a leg for their child to be the one chosen to go to the USA. Later reunited by Ebube’s cheating husband (Yul Edochie) and their children, Bayo (Abayomi Alvin) and Amara’s (Adebukola Oladipupo) affection for one another the movie takes a sloppy road towards the end.

It’s not an out of the usual movie with stunts you’ve never seen before. Of course we all know how it ends but the experience is amazing, the journey smooth, almost without a bump. There is no perfect movie but Moms at War succeeds on almost every level as a comedy drama. From the perfect costume, to cinematography with accurate frames and shots, to actors who shared a connection with each other. There was hardly a weakling in the cast of the movie.

Despite the drama and insanities from fighting in a pool to setting another’s kid up, to fighting the local government council rep. The movie does not throw away the underlying theme; Love and the capacity of the mother’s spirit to stretch itself even if the world will call her a monster. Teenage relationship though not totally explored was touched. Ebube however would not have them go ahead of themselves

” You both are smart kids but this, this is not good enough” she said when she almost caught them kissing.

 We also see another woman, the principal of Keswick Ms Kamson played by Eucharia Anunobi who was doing everything humanly possible to keep her school from going extinct and would give anything for it. Strong, Self-Driven and Strong-willed, I think her character was an untapped potential. She may not have been portrayed as a mother but she had something she was nurturing as well, her school and that is equally important.

However, the movie flowed seamlessly from scene to scene, we experience a titbit of life in Lagos when Ebube hits another person’s car and LASTMA was involved. Somebody shout gbese, lol.

Moms at war which premiered this August in cinemas across the country was directed and produced by Omoni Oboli and written by Naz Onuzo. It starred Omoni Oboli, Funke Akindele, Eucharia Anunobi and Yul Edochie and two of our favs from Shuga Abayomi Alvin and Adebukola Oladipupo.

All in all, it was a fantastic movie. Didn’t try too hard to be funny or entertaining and didn’t fall short at passing its message. Although I think the part where the prostitute was hired was unnecessary and even confusing but it’s nothing compared to all the colors and brightness the movie brought.

This is my best Omoni Oboli yet, looking forward to her next blockbuster.

by Farida Adamu