MOVIE REVIEW: Mercy Johnson’s stellar role not enough to salvage ‘Something Like Gold’s weak plot

Movie Title: Something Like Gold

Language: English

Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes

Release date: 2024

Streaming platform: Netflix

Director: Kayode Kasum

Cast: Sandra Okunzuwa, Mercy Johnson, Kunle Remi, Timini Egbuson, Samuel Perry, Patrick Doyle, Segun Arinze, Bukky Ogunnote, Olayemi Soyeju, Waliu Fagbemi, Teni Aladese

Every once in a while, we come across a film that looks promising, at least judging by the cast, but then midway into the film, the high hopes are dashed because the storyline is not only all too similar, but it is predictable and lacks that spark to earn it a crown.

Countless examples have shown that a star-studded film may only automatically translate to a blockbuster if the script is strong. Talented stars cast in a weak plot may be overstretched while trying to salvage a movie with a lacklustre storyline.

This is the case with ‘Something Like A Gold,’ a star-studded film directed by Kayode Kasum. It tells the story of a once-rude young lady, Tamara Scott, who gets dumped by her fiance on the day of their wedding, only for him to return after she makes headlines. Her father gets arrested for fraud, and her world falls as circumstances force her to live in the ghetto.

Tamara in ‘Something Like Gold’ is an example of resilience. Although she is forced to navigate a harsh new reality in the trenches, she adapts to life quickly and falls in love again.

The movie begins with the announcement of Tamara Jolayemi-Scott’s wedding. Demola Tamara is preparing for her grand, luxurious wedding, looking fabulous in her white flowing gown and neatly dressed hair but acting rudely to everyone around her.

Upon receiving the news that her fiance has called off the wedding, she becomes furious, bittered, and devastated. With tears rolling down her small, cute face, she drives to her fiance’s house, yelling and reminding him of his promise, but he does not say a word or show his face to her.

Things get worse when she finds out her dad, Jolayemi Scott, a famous businessman, has been arrested for fraud and embezzlement of company funds, and his properties and money have ceased. She drives to the apartment of one friend, among others, who eventually picks up her call. Due to her nasty character and rude attitude, her friend refuses to let her stay in their apartment.

Tamara on her wedding day

Tamara ends up living in the ghettos with Aunty Mayowa, their former house help who gets pregnant for Jolayemi Scott while working for them. Her father instructs her to pick Tamara up and care for her until he exits prison. Life becomes hard for her until she learns to adapt.

Soon, Tamara discovers Aunty Mayowa is her birth mother. She falls in love with Tunde, an intelligent carpenter, and helps him prepare for a life-changing pitch. One day, Tamara and the community go viral because of a dance performance in the ghettos. Demola returns to get her back because of her fame.

She will pick either Demola, a man who abandoned her on their wedding day, or her newfound love, Tunde.

Character Analysis

Sandra Okunzuwa played the role of Tamara Jolayemi Scott, a rude and pompous lady. Her performance in this film can be considered unimpressive because more is expected of the lead actor.

Tamara Jolayemi Scott

Mercy Johnson, as Aunty Mayowa, Tamara’s birth mother, has consistently delivered an applaudable performance. She can make her emotions contagious and believable.

Kunle Remi, as Tunde, is a carpenter who loves Tamara. His cute face was all that was attractive in this movie because his performance was not commendable—nothing extraordinary.

Timini Egbuson, one of the most talked-about male actors, plays Demola, Tamara’s fiance, who called off his engagement to her on their wedding day. Although he did not appear in many scenes, his performance was stagnant and seemed forced.

Movie Analysis

“Something Like Gold” is a movie about a very rude and spoilt daughter of a rich man. She is forced to live with her former maid, who turns out to be her mother, in the ghettos after her father loses everything.

The story could be more interesting because the storyline is familiar, and no twist or excitement is added to captivate the audience. From the start, it was predictable and unappealing. With Mercy Johnson’s excellent acting skills, the film flopped in every way.

Tamara , Mercy Johnson and Broda Shaggy in a scene

Were Tamara and Tunde in love? This supposed romance film failed a billion times at executing a perfect love story between Tamara and Tunde. It is impossible to explain how they fell in love as we never saw a connection between them.

The scriptwriter and director overlooked many essential details and scenes, such as how Tamara gradually evolved into a better version. Why did her aunties abandon her? What were they scared of, and why? What was the dance scene all about? We never saw Tamara become so cool with the ghettos that she comfortably danced with them.

More information is needed to ensure viewers understand why some things played out. Tamara gave Tunde’s girlfriend an attitude and acted like they competed even before she and Tunde fell in love. That scene is irrelevant to the storyline.

Although there is a bit of comic relief, the overall execution suffers unprofessionalism and lack of proper directing. It is unbelievable that Demola’s father insulted his son and compared him to Tamara because the dance went viral. To think that the dance was nothing to write home about.

One thing that should stand out in every movie is the cinematography, but this movie needs better editing and not-so-good cinematography.

The actors’ performance in this film could have impressed as expected. The generally great actors did not perform their best, while a few did. Mercy’s stellar performance did not salvage ‘Something Like Gold’ from its weak plot and poor execution. Even though Mercy is a great actor and performed well, the story was uninteresting.

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In conclusion, Something Like Gold lacks a touch of gold in its execution, storytelling, setting, casting and acting.

Something Like Gold

“Something Like Gold” is now showing on Netflix.

Verdict: 4/10