8 Reasons Why Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart on Netflix Was NOT Boring!

Two reviews on Verastic in one week? Is this the new normal? No, not at all. But I just had to write about this right now, or else, I might never get it done. I do not watch a lot of Nigerian movies anymore because I just got tired of watching the same bad movie over and over. That being said, they’re not all bad, I know, but let’s just say I am not as enthusiastic about watching one as I used to be. Unless Pete Edochie is in it, then that changes everything.

For this movie, however, I was interested in it because Genevieve Nnaji was involved – not just as an actress but also as a writer and producer, and I saw snippets of that interview where Richard Quest was asking Genevieve some insulting questions about the movie, like where did she get the money and expertise for such a movie, so I needed to see it for myself (after first blasting him on Instagram).

I have read criticisms of the movie, people (Nigerians) saying that the story line was boring and simple and predictable. Simple, yes. But boring and predictable, I would say no. Let me tell you why.

I think that the reason why people think Lionheart is a boring movie is that we are used to having Nigerian movies that are full of drama and plot twists that are so fast, furious, and ridiculous that they give us whiplash. But those movies have no quality or coherence. Lionheart may have been predictable in the sense that we expected for things to eventually work out and have a happy ending, but it was not at all predictable in the typical Nigerian way.

Here are 8 ways that Lionheart was not a boring or predictable Nigerian movie:

1. Chief Ernest Obiagu (played by Pete Edochie) did not die of the heart attack, nor did he start experiencing a mysterious cough that finally took him out.

2. Adaeze (played by Genevieve Nnaji) was not rescued by a man who loved her, nor was she even married or pressured to be married. And she did not have children either.

3. Godswill Obiagu (played by Nkem Owoh) did not come to steal his brother’s company, money, or wife.

4. Chief Ernest Obiagu’s son, Obiora (played by Phyno) was a rapper and had no interest in the company, nor did he harbor ill will against his sister.

5. Igwe Pascal (played by Kanayo O. Kanayo) was a successful businessman who made his money legitimately. He did not do a money ritual, and he did not cook himself in a pot. He was just a businessman. He also did not hire assassins to take out his competition, nor did he take his competition’s name to one dibia (native/juju doctor) to arrange a small accident for him.

6. The agboro boys (touts) in the opening scene of the movie actually walked away without destroying property, putting a tire on anyone, or raping any woman.

7. There was peace and harmony in the family, and there was no mention of one relative somewhere that needed to be bailed out financially.

8. Pete Edochie’s wife, Onyeka Onwenu loved and respected her husband, AND they lived peacefully. She was not the talkative wife who insulted her husband, nor was she the dormant wife who treated him like he was second in command to Jesus. For some reason, Nollywood tends to portray wives as being one or the other.

Can I just say that the Igboness of this movie made my heart Paulina-Paulina? For Pete Edochie alone, I would have watched this movie many times over, no matter what. Seeing Pete Edochie dance at the end with his akupe (that fan thing he uses to fan himself and do the Igbo handshake) was just everything. I felt like I was watching my daddy dance. Also, hearing Pete Edochie speak Hausa fluently reminded me of my own daddy too.

For me, this movie was a representation of what we can do and should be doing in Nollywood. The narrative does not always have to be about someone using juju to steal someone’s husband or destroy someone’s home. It doesn’t always have to be about a wicked mother-in-law or a childless wife or a cheating husband or university students in a cult or money rituals or somebody doing somebody else by stealing their “star.”. There are other storylines, too – like this one, a story about love and family and business and hard work and perseverance that does not include dramatic shouting and overacting.

5 Things I Loved About Lionheart

1. The cast: I would have watched this movie if Pete Edochie was the only one in it. But then, Genevieve Nnaji buttered my bread by adding Onyeka Onwenu, Nkem Owoh, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Chika Okpala (aka Zebudaya), Ngozi Ezeonu, and of course, Genevieve Nnaji herself. When I think of Nollywood, these are the people I think of.

2. The lighting and sound: Usually, when I’m watching a Nollywood movie, I have to have my remote control in my hand because the sound is never consistent. The background music is too loud and the conversations are too low. Then suddenly, you’re jolted into panic and confusion by the sound of someone screaming. I did not have to touch the remote control for this movie.

3. The location: The movie was shot in Enugu, which I loved. The last time I was in Enugu, I was probably about 10 years old or younger (when my grandma lived there), so while I don’t remember much about the State, I loved seeing a place that was not Lagos or a remote village.

4. The Igboness: I am not half as Igbo as I’d like to be. When I hear people like Phyno and Flavour singing and rapping in Igbo, it gives me great joy – although I don’t understand a lot of what they’re saying because their Igbo is too hard for me. I have a friend who is from Imo, and every time he speaks Igbo, I get butterflies in my belly. It sounds so sexy to me. Therefore, listening to the people in this movie speak Igbo was just everything to me. In the opening scene, one of the agboro boys (tout) called someone an afoanu (fool), and I couldn’t stop laughing. I have not heard that word in a while.

5. The exposure: No, we do not need Hollywood or Netflix to validate us and/or our stories, but it feels good to be recognized. When I signed into my Netflix account and searched for Lionheart and saw Genevieve Nnaji’s face on it, I was pleased. It’s the same way Asians felt about the movie, Crazy Rich Asians (which I’m still yet to see). Representation matters.

Overall, I liked Lionheart a lot – for what it had and for what it did not have. I am very proud of Genevieve Nnaji and everyone who was part of this project, and frankly, I am inspired.

Genevieve Nnaji is a woman, a Black woman, an African woman, a Nigerian woman, an Igbo woman, a mom, a single mom, and so much more, and she’s out there doing the damn thing, looking hot while doing it, securing that bag, and not making noise about it but letting her work speak for her. Nne’m, ji si ike!

Go see the movie, please.