The idea of Sugar Rush is very exciting for a lot of reasons. It is Jadesola Osiberu’s sophomore film after the critically acclaimed Isoken (2017) which earned her a Best Director award at the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA).
Apart from this, Sugar Rush has a pretty decent lineup, one that’s guaranteed to pull the crowd to any cinema with the promise of electric performances.
There’s Nollywood’s favourite couple, Adesua Etomi-Wellington and Bankole Wellington; former Big Brother stars, Bisola Aiyeola and Tobi Bakre; and the likes of Jide Kosoko, Omoni Oboli and Mawuli Gavor.
The movie’s trailer also did it a lot of favours, with fun, colourful snippets expertly cut to whet the appetite. So, it is not at all surprising that it opened to over N40 million in its first weekend.
Directed by Kayode Kasum, Sugar Rush tells the story of the Sugar Sisters, Sola (Bisola Aiyeola), Susan (Adesua Etomi-Wellington) and Bola (Bimbo Ademoye).
After the sisters accidentally stumble upon a whopping $800,000 in cash and decide to keep it, the government’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the supposed owners of the money come for them, leading to the loss of the money to a different party in a series of whimsical events.
When everything is written to have some sort of comic relief, it becomes a hit and miss situation and that is what Sugar Rush feels like for most of its run-time.
The Castle
The film stars Adesua Etomi, Bisola Aiyeola and Bimbo Ademoye in the lead roles. The film had its theatrical release on 25 December 2019 coinciding Christmas and opened to mixed reviews from critics. Despite the mixed reviews, the film became a box office success and became the fourth highest grossing Nigerian film of all time. The casting for the film is pretty decent, save for Banky W who is supposed to be Anikulapo, a feared villain who shows up with a coloured moustache that just looks terrible, but still not enough to distract from an absolutely uninspiring performance.
With boundless comic energy, Sugar Rush is undoubtedly exciting, offering the much-needed comedy that is the gold dust for blockbuster Nollywood movies in recent years.