Behind the Scenes opens on territory most Nigerians know well: one person in the family carries everyone else. Ronke Fernandez has money, and her relatives have their hands out. It’s a dynamic that plays out in households across the country, which gives the film immediate recognition factor. The problem isn’t the premise. It’s how cautiously the film chooses to explore it.
Co-directed by Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye, the film follows Ronke as she finally hits her limit with family members who treat her success like their personal ATM. It isn’t connected to any of Akindele’s previous franchises, which should feel like a fresh start. But the film rarely escapes the familiar formula Akindele has built her box office dominance on, relying on obvious morals, broad humor, and conflicts that resolve too neatly to feel fully earned.
Scarlet Gomez plays Ronke with more dimension than the script gives her. The character is written as almost impossibly generous, a saint surrounded by users. Gomez finds ways to make her feel human anyway, which is more than the material consistently supports. She becomes the anchor of the film, and she holds it together.
Funke Akindele steps into villain mode as Adetutu, Ronke’s greedy older sister. It is a departure from the Jenifa character audiences know her for, and the shift works. Akindele clearly enjoys playing someone this openly selfish, and her performance injects energy into scenes that otherwise feel predictable. It is one of the film’s stronger elements and a reminder of how effective she can be when she steps outside familiar personas.
Tobi Bakre plays Adewale, the spoiled lastborn, with the bratty energy the role demands. When tragedy forces him to mature, however, the film rushes through his transformation without laying the groundwork. The change happens because the plot requires it, not because the character has earned it.
Uzor Arukwe’s Victor is written largely as a functional presence, a lawyer and best friend who exists mostly to explain things. His final arc is one of the film’s most baffling choices. The film asks viewers to accept that this Lagos-based lawyer not only plays baseball but keeps a bat in his car and instinctively uses it during a nighttime confrontation. The moment stretches credibility and exposes the film’s habit of resolving conflict without preparation or logic.
Ejiro Onajafe plays Annabel, Victor’s wife, but her performance fails to sell the emotional weight required of key scenes. In one moment, a character complicit in her husband’s death attempts to console her, and Annabel responds with quiet acceptance. There is no visible grief, anger, or conflict, and the emotional beat lands flat as a result.
Ini Dima Okojie’s Yoruba delivery is noticeably weak for a character meant to be culturally grounded, pulling viewers out of scenes where language should anchor authenticity. Meanwhile, Akinyoola Ayoola once again gets boxed into comic relief. It is a familiar pattern that limits what he is allowed to contribute.
The film contains less melodrama than Akindele’s usual work, but that restraint exposes another weakness. Character motivations remain thin. Emotions are explained rather than dramatized, leaving little room for viewers to discover meaning on their own. Even moments meant to feel intimate, such as Victor explaining Ronke’s diagnosis, come across as mechanical rather than personal.
Much of Behind the Scenes struggles to feel grounded. The homes are immaculate, the wealth polished, and the emotional messiness of the story is softened by glossy presentation. In a late-night chess scene, characters appear fully made up as if attending an event rather than unwinding at home. These details accumulate, repeatedly breaking the film’s internal reality.
The humor relies on stereotypes Nollywood should have outgrown by now. Repeated jokes about a driver’s tribal marks feel tired, while Destiny Etiko’s exaggerated Igbo accent as the maid Oluchi leans more toward cheap laughs than meaningful characterization. Although she has a few sincere moments, the role remains underdeveloped.
Product placement for Knorr and Colgate is especially intrusive. The camera lingers on branded items long enough to disrupt narrative flow, turning emotional beats into thinly veiled commercials.
Structurally, the story follows a predictable arc; a generous relative is exploited. Illness forces reflection, lessons are learned and a wedding ties everything up. The film makes no attempt to surprise or complicate this trajectory. Akindele’s approach has always been direct, spelling out its lessons clearly, and that clarity continues to attract audiences. But it also keeps the storytelling safely within familiar limits.
For audiences already comfortable with Akindele’s storytelling style, the film delivers exactly what is expected. It will likely dominate the December box office, but still, the film’s relatable foundation about family financial pressure had room to go deeper. Instead, it settles for surface-level conflict and resolution.
By the time the wedding finale arrives, Behind the Scenes has made it clear that it has little new to offer. It delivers consistency, not risk. That consistency has sustained Akindele’s box office reign, but it also highlights the creative limitations of playing it safe. The film needed stronger character motivations, more grounded choices, and a greater trust in its audience. Instead, it opts for familiarity, leaving a story that could have resonated more deeply feeling frustratingly restrained.
Release Date: December 12, 2025
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours
Directed by: Funke Akindele, Tunde Olaoye
Cast: Scarlet Gomez, Funke Akindele, Tobi Bakre, Uzor Arukwe, Uche Montana, Ini Dima Okojie, Destiny Etiko, Ejiro Onajafe, Akinyoola Ayoola