DINING WITH A LONG SPOON

Posted in Recommended by - January 17, 2015
DINING WITH A LONG SPOON

Starring: Bob Manuel Udokwu, Omoni Oboli, Uru Eke

Synopsis:

A senator’s wife and the “other woman” team up with a scheme to eliminate him but the plan is intercepted by the unforeseen.

Review:

Kayode (Bob Manuel Udokwu) had his eye on becoming the next governor of Nigeria. He was a senator with the love of the people but there was more to him than the wholesome image he projected. He was married to Clarice (Omoni Oboli) and she was rumored to be mentally disturbed. He couldn’t stand his wife but tolerated her for career purposes. 

The incumbent was determined to keep his seat in office and his strategy was to offer Kayode’s campaign manager a job but Fedura (Uru Eke) remained loyal to Kayode. With a busy media schedule and an unpredictable wife, Fedura constantly put out fires in Kayode’s life while she lighted his fire behind closed doors.

Fedora really wanted Kayode for herself but he couldn’t risk ruining his image by divorcing his mentally ill wife. At home, his wife fought for the marriage but any attempts she made to please him were flat out rejected. 

It seemed that both women were not getting what they wanted from Kayode and they formed an unlikely alliance. A suggestion to get rid of him turned into a plan of action.

Let’s Talk. This is a drama that commenced with a dose of politics but the story centers around a love triangle. The writing was efficient with characters that enhanced the story. There’s a senator seeking to further his political career, a campaign manager that had a flair of  “Olivia Pope,’ and then there’s a loony bin character that tugged at your heartstrings. 

The movie didn’t really pop until half way through when the two women executed “Plan A.” Under the direction of Desmond Elliott the movie does have some startling moments although some story aspects were predictable. 

At the core of the story are the “long handle spoon” relationships. The term “feeding someone with a long handle spoon” refers to keeping someone at a reasonable distance. Imagine feeding someone with an extra long spoon. Obviously you care about them enough to feed them but there’s an underlying issue in the relationship that’s causing some friction. 

As the term relates to the story, the most prominent “long handle spoon” relationships were those with Clarice. Kayode put up with her just enough to keep her in the marriage while Fedura worked with her to carry out the murder plan. 

Performances? Bob Manuel Udokwu did a respectable job. As for the writing of his character, a little more insight into Kayode’s political aspirations was needed.

There’s a scene where a debate took place and Kayode’s speech was faded into a montage of ambiguity and left to the viewers imagination. His words needed to be heard. Two or three lines of what he planned to accomplish as governor or better yet the mention of a problem that Nigeria faces today would have made the character more authentic as a candidate running for office. 

Omoni Oboli was exceptional. There’s an abundance of stories out there to tell but there’s a shortage of great roles for Black actresses to play. Hats off to the writers for creating this role and for choosing Omoni to play it. 

A title like “Dining with a Long Spoon” certainly piques the interest. The movie turned out to be an interesting merge of politics, love, and crime worth watching.   RECOMMEND 

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13 Comments on "DINING WITH A LONG SPOON"

  • ajibike oshodi

    i enjoyed this film particularly as the subject matter the role and life of a politicians wife that happens to have bi-polar a mental condition was acted by omoni oboli . She was excellent and the three some lives of her self and her husband and his mistresss was believable !It focused on the mentally ill in society – i enjoyed it as the end was unexpected .

    • TalkAfricanMovies

      Hi Ajibike. I honestly didn’t know what to expect based on the title of this movie but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I agree that Omoni Oboli was great!

      • JJ

        This will be next on my list..love this review and my kinda movie too.

        • TalkAfricanMovies

          It’s funny bc when I saw the DVD cover the movie didn’t attract me. But something made me watch it one day bc it had been sitting around in a pile of unwatched movies that I had at the time. I liked it. I was engrossed from beginning to end. Yes, I would purchase this one.

          • JJ

            Heeey I got this one today too along with another one I have seen before and always wanted it in my collection..”My Dying Day”

  • JJ

    I am watching this one now..so far so good but I gotta get to the end.

    • TalkAfricanMovies

      Well? What did you think?

  • JJ

    Abeg abeg they did the damn thing with this one..and they thought the wife was crazy?..well so did I. This movie got the best of me..the ending. I love the color/set..story line.. cast all around great production. If you don’t know I gotta tell you I purchased this movie because of your review..still you didn’t give it all away…yea you know how to review..A+ to ya.

    • TalkAfricanMovies

      Aww…thanks, boo. Glad you liked it. Happy New Year!

  • JJ

    Same to you and may you and your family be blessed with health and prosperity that you so deserve.

    • TalkAfricanMovies

      Thanks so much. Wishing you & yours the best as well.

  • Emman

    Now Desmond Elliot is one of the greatest director I have ever seen in Nollywood, Oh my God….. this is a wonderful job, keep it up, I don’t naturally watch Nollywood, i just batch to this movie and the other one that was directed by the same Elliot … Birthday Bash… I think this guy is great… Hollywood is waiting for you Go go go get it

    • TalkAfricanMovies

      Hi Emman, I agree that this was one of his better movies.

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