mama drama movie review

Movie Review: Mama Drama (2020); available on Netflix in 2021

Mama Drama (2020) Synopsis: Mama Drama tells the story of Mena and her surrogate mother, Kemi, who both enter into an agreement to help birth Mena’s baby into the world. Things don’t go quite as planned and now they both must make the hardest decision of their lives. 

Mama Drama: The Cast

• Osas Ighodaro – Mena
• Kunle Remi – Gboyega
• Kehinde Bankole – Kemi
• Femi Adebayo – Dotun
• Shaffy Bello – Mama Adelana
• Adunni Ade – Simi
• Chinyere Wilfred – Auntie
• Olive Emodi – Lawyer
• Rekiya Attah – Judge
• Opeyemi Ayeola – Aunt

Mama Drama: The Crew

Director – Seyi Babatope

Mama Drama: The Review

The storyline of Mama Drama is like a refreshing glass of rare wine, something different and unusual. It pushes the envelope. Fertility issues and alternative options is what our Nigerian society would rather be hush about, but more people are embracing them, even if secretly. 

I must say Osas and Shaffy were in their elements in this beautiful movie of love, pain, cultural integration, societal pressure, and medical issues. Osas is the perfect embodiment of the long-suffering daughter-in-law from a different tribe, doing her best to cope with fertility issues, and getting the flak from her very traditional Yoruba mother-in-law.

The subject of the movie is a sensitive one, but the actors and directors do such beautiful justice to it, without detracting from the seriousness of the issue. We are well entertained. 

The movie is well paced and has good, short scenes that pass across the message succinctly. The scenes are very tight and punchy. The camera focuses are poignant; they keep the focus on the emotions. We have no need to see the person giving the message. No words are necessary, but the responses are perfect, evoking emotions in us the viewers.  

The actors in Mama Drama gave a great performance, so much so that you would believe they are experiencing all the pain, joy, and every emotion in the movie. But the stars are Kehinde Bankole, Shaffy Bello, and Osas Ighodaro. They all have such on-screen chemistry, and there is minimal overacting.

I would have preferred if some actions in the last scenes of the court were toned down, but it did not take away too much from the movie, and it is good to see it end not just happily ever after, but more true to life. 

NollyRated Score: 4/5 (Great Movie)

NollyRated uses a 5-level scoring system, as follows:

• Outstanding

Join Our Tribe on Twitter:  For updates on new Nollywood movie reviews, cinema reviews, and Nigerian movie personalities, join our tribe on Twitter  @NollyRated .

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Mama Drama Review

• May 25, 2021

If you are stuck in a dilemma to stream  ‘Mama Drama” ( now streaming on Netflix) or not, I think you will get clarity after seeing this review.

Mama drama is a long way from the generic comedy Nollywood content we have been made to sit through in recent times.

the film is written by Diche Enunwa, Temitope Bolade Akinbode, and produced by Joy Grant Ekon.

the story tells us about Mena (Osas Ighodaro) a lady who struggled with infertility issues and after her 6th miscarriage finally opted for surrogacy with her P.A. Kemi (Kehinde Bankole).

During the 6 miscarriages, although she had a sweet and understanding husband (Kunle Remi), her mother-in-law was not soft on her. While Kemi was with Mena’s child, she lost her son who choked to death. Painfully and sadly, they went on with the surrogacy plans and after Kemi had the child, Mena and her immediate family relocated to stay away from the mother-in-law.

as the story unfolds, the cast is thrown into a series of unfortunate events that strengthen the story’s core, leading up to a child custody battle.

Considering the fact that the story was loosely based on a true-life event, the story was well written and portrayed. The casting was well done and every single cast delivered terrific performances. Further noteworthy characters are Mena (Osas Ighodaro) and Kemi (Kehinde Bankole), the story is a very emotional one. they put in the right emotion needed for the movie, not too small to trivialize the situation and still not too much to ridicule the role. Speaking on emotions, Kemi’s husband (Femi Adebayo) was all the comedy the movie needed— a character well played.

I think a major lapse of this movie was the camera angle and continuity towards the end of the movie. The scene that had Seyi fainting could have been portrayed better. Considering how the court ruling went, viewers already had suspicions. Will the movie just come to an end like this? Will something happen to Seyi? In my opinion, the way the camera kept skipping and showing Mena from below before what happened took the suspense away from that scene. The final court judgment scene was another ugly scene to sit through. I don’t think the movie needed the continuous rants and comments from the grandmothers. With the severity of the case in particular and the movie in general, that was a scene that was wrongly put.

On a final note, Mama Drama is a twisted story of motherhood we do not often hear about filled with tears both of joy and sadness and a message of hope. We recommend!

More From TXT Film

FIVE NOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS MOVIES TO CHECK OUT THIS DECEMBER

• December 26, 2021
• By Clinton Durueke

10 Industry Trends from 2020 That We Should Discontinue in 2021

• January 14, 2021

Aníkúlápó Review; An Introspection Of Kunle Afolayan’s Attempt at Folklore.

• October 9, 2022
• By Alexx the Curator

‘Citation’ Review: Inside Kunle Afolayan’s Nifty Film on Sexual Assault in Nigerian Universities

• November 11, 2020
• By Tolulope Ebiseni

The “Ayinla” Biopic is Almost Here

• December 23, 2020

Chief Daddy Review

• January 3, 2022

Nimbe’s Review— Something Different.

• September 12, 2020
• By Chidi Obialor

Òlòtūré’s Review

• October 5, 2020

The Dangers of Pigeonholing in Film

• November 4, 2020

The Evolution Of Sequels And Franchises In Nollywood

• November 20, 2020

art & Fashion

• Now Playing
• Airing Today
• Popular People
• Discussions
• Leaderboard
• Alternative Titles
• Cast & Crew
• Release Dates
• Translations
• Backdrops 2
• Content Issues 0

Mama Drama (2020)

Login to use TMDB's new rating system.

Welcome to Vibes, TMDB's new rating system! For more information, visit the contribution bible .

• Play Trailer

One baby... Two mothers... Drama!!!

After years of fertility issues and her mother-in-law's nagging, a woman hires her assistant as a surrogate. But things don’t go as smoothly as planned.

Seyi Babatope

Bimbo Akinbode

Diche Enunwa

Temitope Bolade

Top Billed Cast

Osas Ighodaro

Kehinde Bankole

Femi Adebayo

Shaffy Bello

Mama Adelana

Chinyere Wilfred

Opeyemi Ayeola

Rekiya Attah

Full Cast & Crew

• Discussions 0

We don't have any reviews for Mama Drama.

• Most Popular

Status Released

Original Language English

No keywords have been added.

Content Score 

Yes! Looking good!

Looks like we're missing the following data in en-US or en-US ...

Top Contributors

36 qualitylover

35 MovieMadMatt

View Edit History

Popularity Trend

Login to edit

Keyboard Shortcuts

Login to report an issue

You need to be logged in to continue. Click here to login or here to sign up.

Can't find a movie or TV show? Login to create it.

On media pages

On tv season pages, on tv episode pages, on all image pages, on all edit pages, on discussion pages.

Want to rate or add this item to a list?

Not a member?

Sign up and join the community

Movies & TV Nollywood

BN TV Movies & TV

Movies & TV

Movies Movies & TV Nollywood

Beauty Movies & TV News Style

BN TV Movies & TV Nollywood

Movies & TV News Promotions

Movies & TV Scoop

Watch the Teaser for “Mama Drama” Starring Osas Ighodaro, Kehinde Bankole, Femi Adebayo Salami

A brand new Nollywood movie, “ Mama Drama ” is coming to the cinemas from March 20, 2020, and it promises to be full of drama and laughter.

The movie features different dramas from an owambe versus Eze Indi Igbo mother-in-laws, besties turned worsties, who now have to fight over one child and who should have the final say?.

The cast of the movie includes Osas Ighodaro, Kehainde Bankole, Kunle Remi, Shaffy Bello, Kunle Remi, Femi Adebayo Salami, Opeyemi Aiyeola, Olive Emodi, Rekiya Atta .

Watch the teaser below:

The Proposed Digitization of the Nigerian Television Authority & What it Means to Tax Payers

The Nollywood-Bollywood Collaboration We’ve All Been Waiting for is Here! Check out the Star-Studded “Namaste Wahala”

Living & Celebrating the African Dream! Catch all the Scoop on www.bellanaija.com Follow us Twitter : @bellanaija Facebook : @bellanaija Instagram : @bellanaijaonline

You may like

Inside the Exclusive Skin Brunch: Inspiring Stories and Unforgettable Moments

Kunle Remi & Bimbo Ademoye Review Ajebo’s Skits & More on “The Buffet”

Osas Ighodaro’s Backless LBD Deserves to Be Seen From Every Angle

From The Snapchat DMs To Forever! Here’s How Eddie & Faith Came To Be

Genoveva Umeh, Joke Silva, Eliane Umuhire… These Are The Best Supporting Actress Nominees | #AMVCA10

Biodun Da-Silva: Some Lessons from My 40-Year Life Experience

FBN Holdings PLC Appoints Olusegun Alebiosu As Acting CEO

Watch Simi Talk About Her Musical Journey on CNN’s African Voices Changemakers

Bubu Ogisi Gets Real About Fashion and Business In This New Culture Custodian Series| WATCH

Sparkle Lifestyle Week Is Back | April 22nd to May 12th!

1da Banton Celebrates Success with Bella Shmurda in “Evidence” Video

Watch Yadah & Sunmisola Agbebi in Live Version of “Never Seen”

Fejiro Meets a Young Playboy in Episode 3 (S1) of “Manless” | Watch

New Video: Minz feat. 255 – Shadow

New Video: Esther Oji – Language of Your Heart

BNXN & Ruger Chat with Billboard News on their Reunion, Joint Album “RnB,” Afrobeats & More

Ckay and Olamide Collab on New Single “Wahala”

Star features.

10 Years on Screen! Linda Osifo Tells Us About Her Acting Journey in Today’s “Doing Life With…”

Bola Edwards is Promoting African Heritage for Children Through Her Fictional Character “Grandma Wura”

Dennis Isong: These Are Some Substantial Benefits of Investing in Land in Lagos

BN Prose: Don’t Come Home Late by Ahmad Adedimeji Amobi

Cast & Crew

Movie details, popular drama movies.

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Movie trailers.

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

• TV Listings
• Cast & Crew

Nicole Burch: Mama Drama Reviews

• 1 hr 2 mins
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Nicole Burch was a career driven, eternally single party girl, until a one-night stand made her a mom.

Mama Drama (2020)

Streaming in:

Something wrong? Let us know!

Mama Drama streaming: where to watch online?

We try to add new providers constantly but we couldn't find an offer for "Mama Drama" online. Please come back again soon to check if there's something new.

After years of fertility issues and her mother-in-law's nagging, a woman hires her assistant as a surrogate. But things don’t go as smoothly as planned.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Production country

People who liked mama drama also liked.

Popular movies coming soon

Upcoming Drama movies

Similar Movies you can watch for free

A 12 year old girl in 1990s rural China witnesses in just one week, three deaths and two births. The story comes from the painful personal memory of the first time director herself.

Recommendations

More about Mama

R.I.P. María Salud Ramírez Caballero, the woman who reportedly inspired Pixar's Mama Coco

The Michoacán matriarch has died at the age of 109

Advertisement

Dolly Parton says disrespecting the Earth is "like being ugly to your mama"

Parton spoke to National Geographic about climate change and Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains

Mama told them not to but they did it anyway: HBO renews Righteous Gemstones for a third season

With the show's second season still airing, HBO has renewed the Danny McBride-led series for another season

Blood, bullets, and "yo mama" jokes abound in The Predator red-band trailer

It’s entirely possible that we’re just desensitized after decades of constant exposure, but the red-band trailer for …

Discover the story behind Mama Cass in this California Dreamin’ exclusive

Cass Elliot, best known to the world as Mama Cass of the pop rock group The Mamas And The Papas, was an anomaly in …

Universal lands new writing-directing team for its Mama sequel

Andres Muschetti’s Mama was genuinely and consistently frightening, if a little too eager to introduce its …

Read This: The story behind the Mama Said Knock You Out album cover

25 years ago today, LL Cool J confidently proclaimed, “Don’t call it a comeback; I’ve been here for years,” and a …

Rankin/Bass meets Mama Cass in a groovy stop-motion mashup

Who knew that Mrs. Claus was such a soulful gal? While the basis for this mashup seems to be just the rhyming …

Mama director Andy Muscietti takes over the remake of Stephen King’s It

Director Cary Fukunaga ran away from New Line Cinema’s remake of Stephen King’s It back in May after finding out …

Three Dog Night should have listened to Mama

In Hear This , A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, in celebration of Mother’s Day, …

Move over, Jeremy Clarkson. TV is now ruled by the ‘Mama drama’

Centring a matriarch, a large kitchen island and domestic secrets, the genre swerves Dad TV staples to unashamedly cater to the mums’ market

She is quirky or ethereal but attractive. Stylish in her own way. Slim. Always. With loyal, ethnically diverse friends, a handsome spouse – and, ideally, a kitchen island the size of Madagascar. But from the moment those opening credits roll we instinctively know her picture-perfect life overlooking the bay, in that smart executive cul-de-sac or the double-fronted Victorian villa is about to come crashing down around her drop-pearl ears. 

Welcome to the world of Mama drama, the genre that unashamedly aims for the mums’ market by way of a counterbalance to the Dad TV staples of Jeremy Clarkson , Jack Reacher, Yellowstone and Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Over on the distaff side we have the likes of high net-worth divorce drama The Split, Big Little Lies and anything by Harlan Coben .

Annette Bening as an errant matriarch in Apples Never Fall? Mama drama. Keri Russell as The Diplomat ? Mama drama. Suranne Jones playing a wronged wife in Dr Foster, a whip-smart detective lady-bossing a submarine crew in Vigil or the UK Prime Minister in the new Netflix series The Choice? Mama drama. She’s pretty much the poster girl, dammit.

Recollections may vary but as far as I recall, in the beginning was Desperate Housewives, way back in 2004. Here was a deep dive into a very different America from the identikit cop shows and mean street narratives, set on picture-perfect Wisteria Drive where we were offered a tantalising glimpse into the beautiful people’s shiny lives – and the dark lies that propped them up.

It proved to be a game-changer; the first series drew in four million viewers on Channel Four with a further one million on E4. And although ratings tailed off for subsequent seasons, it continued to be the sine qua non of water cooler conversation in offices the length and breadth of the country. These days it’s just as likely to be coffee shops and WhatsApp groups where midlife, middle-class women gather to extol the aesthetic virtues and hedonistic vices of The White Lotus or Little Fires Everywhere. 

Incidentally, I use (neologise) the term Mama drama advisedly; what constitutes edge-of-the-sofa action is very much in the eye and arguably gender of the beholder. My husband’s idea of drama is the 101st Airborne Division getting their limbs blown off in Band of Brothers. Mine is when high flying architect Morven Christie gets usurped by her devious maternity cover Vicky McClure in The Replacement or any show in which the female protagonist discovers her new best friend has been secretly hanging out with her old best friend – and they are planning a spa day. No blood is shed but by God it runs colder than a double helping of Scandi trailblazer The Killing. 

We women prefer our carnage to be emotional, rather than physical. I’ll take familial strife and the battle of the sexes over gangland violence every time. After all, who needs snoring boring car chases and yet another CGI explosion when you can have Suranne silencing the baddies with a single razor-sharp look of reproof? It may be a generalisation but female viewers and certainly this female viewer tend to be gripped by the domestic frontline; the salvos shot across the breakfast bar, the secretive teenagers edging close to disaster, the frenemies exchanging exquisitely hurtful barbs round the dinner table. 

A quick straw poll of my own circle reveals the definition of Mama drama is anything with a “strong matriarch, ideally a wedding, too much booze, and a few terrible secrets competing to be uncovered”. Then, of course, there’s the frocks and shocks sub-genre. “Who doesn’t love period Mama drama?” one friend asks rhetorically. “The whole concept has been reinvented by Bridgerton with the eye candy men, the high production values, the lavish colour coordinated costumes and interiors. Not forgetting the music – Taylor Swift pop given a classical makeover, the passion and, obviously, the sex.” 

But you can’t roll any old historical series into this; Mary and George makes the cut thanks to Julianne Moore but The Winter King does not. Too many sharp objects, not enough Mama. Oh and by the way Mama drama often contains far more naked flesh than Dad TV: let’s just say sales of Prosecco will peak once the Jilly Cooper adaptation of Rivals starts screening on Disney +. 

In the interim there’s reality Mama drama to keep us going. I put the Married at First Sight franchise right up at the apex. It’s shamelessly voyeuristic stuff – parties, booze, extraordinary clothes, hierarchies – with a dollop of female wit and genuine jeopardy that elevates it above other reality shows. Plus, despite living in an age of po-faced inclusiveness we’re still allowed to relentlessly mock Australians for being awful, which makes the current series of MAFS Australia a really quite cathartic must-watch. Spoiler alert: no good ever comes of a groom sporting a man bun. Yes it’s cheap TV masquerading as a serious social experiment, but it’s also an anthropological rollercoaster. 

People are fascinated by people hence I can’t resist any sort of psychological thriller, which explains my soft spot for Harlan Coben. Sure, I have friends who take gleeful pleasure in pointing out the inconsistencies but I find myself willingly swept up into these fictional worlds. To question their internal logic (or indeed its absence) is on a par with trying to winkle out how illusionists make passenger planes disappear, which is to say mean-spirited and spoils the enjoyment of everyone else. I believe because I want to, not because it makes sense. 

While we’re on the subject of sense and common senses, there is, inevitably, a certain crossover between pink and blue telly, whether by intent or default. The clue is when your other half gets up to go up the loo; if he isn’t bothered about you pausing the programme, chances are it’s more your bag than his. And vice versa. 

Ultimately, mothers like me post wine o’clock (as we were once allowed to call it) want escapism rather than grit, Louis Poulsen lights and gravel driveways. A boot room. The walls may be spattered with blood but the paintwork is definitely Little Greene – ‘Putti’, I think. Death is par for the course but it’s no reason for standards to drop. We very much do not want hopelessness, ugly furniture or anything that smacks of the cost of living crisis. 

So what have we got to look forward to? I, for one, am excited about the forthcoming series The Perfect Couple starring obligatory Mama drama doyenne Nicole Kidman. Here, she plays a disapproving matriarch (tick!) reluctantly presiding over a family wedding (tick!) when a body is discovered (triple whammy!).

I don’t know about you but I’m already visualising the designer neutrals, the clapboard summer house by the lake, the seemingly unassailable fortress of country club privilege rocked to the core by a slew of appalling revelations. How terrible. How tremendous. How Mama drama.

• Big Little Lies,
• Facebook Icon
• WhatsApp Icon

• Australia edition
• International edition
• Europe edition

Earth Mama review – Savanah Leaf’s outstanding debut about single motherhood

US rapper Tia Nomore excels as a woman facing an impossible situation in Leaf’s bleak yet defiant Bifa award-winning drama

A San Francisco Bay Area single mother with two children who have already been sucked into the foster-care system, Gia (a revelatory performance from Oakland rapper Tia Nomore ) is pregnant with her third child. Heavily so. Her belly seems cumbersome and incongruous on her slight frame. Brief fantasy interludes that cut into the naturalistic, almost documentary-style observational approach of this impressive feature debut suggest that Gia is deeply conflicted by her pregnancy and by the umbilical emotional connection that she already feels with the baby.

It becomes clear that the unborn child in her belly is not the only weight that Gia carries. A hostile, punitive society seems designed to knock back poor Black women at every opportunity. Her weekly supervised meetings with her children are the happiest moments of her life – and the most painful. To regain custody, she must attend a rigorous schedule of drug rehabilitation classes and counselling sessions; she also has to pay child support. But to earn enough money, she needs more hours at work, something she can’t take on because of the time commitments of her state-mandated classes.

It’s a supremely confident first feature from London-born, California-raised director Savanah Leaf, who won best debut director at the Bifas last week. Her storytelling is subtly understated but visually eloquent. Images, rather than words, are the currency in which Leaf trades, with particular emphasis on long, unbroken shots of Nomore’s endlessly expressive face as she wrestles with her impossible situation. It’s bleak at times, but there is a defiantly celebratory aspect to the film, which finds hope in the solidarity of Black women and dignity in Gia’s quiet stoicism.

• Drama films
• The Observer

Most viewed

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, dancing queens.

Now streaming on:

I saw the stage version of "Mamma Mia!" in London, where for all I know, it is now entering the second century of its run, and I was underwhelmed. The film version has the advantage of possessing Meryl Streep , Pierce Brosnan , Amanda Seyfried , Colin Firth and Julie Walters , but their assets are stretched fairly thin. And there are the wall-to-wall songs by ABBA, if you like that sort of thing. I don't, not much, with a few exceptions.

But here's the fact of the matter. This movie wasn't made for me. It was made for the people who will love it, of which there may be a multitude. The stage musical has sold 30 million tickets, and I feel like the grouch at the party. So let me make that clear and proceed with my minority opinion.

The action is set on a Greek isle, where the characters are made to slide down rooftops, dangle from ladders, enter and exit by trapdoors and frolic among the colorful local folk. The choreography at times resembles calisthenics, particularly in a scene where the young male population, all wearing scuba flippers, dance on the pier to "Dancing Queen" (one of the ABBA songs I do like).

It would be charity to call the plot contrived. Meryl Streep plays Donna, who runs a tourist villa on the island, where she has raised her daughter Sophie (Seyfried) to the age of 20. Sophie, engaged to Sky ( Dominic Cooper ), has never known who her father is. But now she's found an old diary and invited the three possible candidates to her forthcoming wedding. She'll know the right one at first sight, she's convinced. They are Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill ( Stellan Skarsgard ) and Harry (Colin Firth), and if you know the first thing about camera angles, shot choice and screen time, you will quickly be able to pick out the likely candidate -- if not for sperm source, then for the one most likely to succeed in one way or another.

Streep's character of course knows nothing of her daughter's invitations, but even so, it must be said she takes a long time to figure out why these particular men were invited. Wouldn't it be, like, obvious? She has earnest conversations with all three, two of whom seem to have been one-night stands; for them to drop everything and fly to Greece for her after 20 years speaks highly of her charms.

The plot is a clothesline on which to hang the songs; the movie doesn't much sparkle when nobody is singing or dancing, but that's rarely. The stars all seem to be singing their own songs, aided by an off-screen chorus of, oh, several dozen, plus full orchestration. Streep might seem to be an unlikely choice to play Donna, but you know what? She can play anybody. And she can survive even the singing of a song like " Money, Money, Money ." She has such a merry smile and seems to be actually having a good time.

Her two best friends have flown in for the occasion: Tanya ( Christine Baranski ), an often-married plastic surgery subject, and Rosie (Julie Walters), plainer and pluckier. With three hunks their age like Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgard on hand, do they divvy up? Not exactly. But a lot of big romantic decisions do take place in just a few days.

The island is beautiful. Moviegoers will no doubt be booking vacations there. The energy is unflagging. The local color feels a little overlooked in the background; nobody seems to speak much Greek. And then there are the songs. You know them. You may feel you know them too well. Or maybe you can never get enough of them. Streep's sunshine carries a lot of charm, although I will never be able to understand her final decision in the movie -- not coming from such a sensible woman. Never mind. Love has its way.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Peyton robinson.

Brian Tallerico

Mary & George

Cristina escobar.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Simon Abrams

Film credits.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments

108 minutes

Pierce Brosnan as Sam

Colin Firth as Harry

Amanda Seyfried as Sophie

Christine Baranski as Tanya

Julie Walters as Rosie

Stellan Skarsgard as Bill

Dominic Cooper as Sky

Meryl Streep as Donna

Directed by

• Phyllida Lloyd
• Catherine Johnson

Latest blog posts

Ebertfest Film Festival Over the Years

The 2024 Chicago Palestine Film Festival Highlights

Man on the Moon Is Still the Cure for the Biopic Blues

Part of the Solution: Matthew Modine on Acting, Empathy, and Hard Miles

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Challengers is a sweaty, horny tennis drama that serves hard

A vibrant three-way power play that will leave you thirsty.

Luca Guadagnino's new movie is a lustful, exhilarating watch driven by star-making performances from Zendaya , Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, epic slow-motion scenes and a banger of a soundtrack.

It's a sweaty, wicked three-way thriller exploring the intersection between power, sex, desire and starving ambition. It's about tennis being like sex and sex being like tennis, in an endless loop dominated by the need for living with feverish passion.

There are no explicit sex scenes or orgasms on screen, and yet this is the horniest movie of the year.

The movie starts during its climax — former best friends Art Donaldson (Faist) and Patrick Zweig (O'Connor) are facing each other in the final match of 2019's New Rochelle challengers competition. It's a low-stakes event, but the shared history between the men makes it one of the most important games of their lives.

In the audience sits Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), who is intensely watching not only as Art's coach and wife but also as Patrick's ex-girlfriend.

This match is the culmination of a 13-year relationship that started in 2006's Junior US Open, when Tashi was an up-and-coming player that caught the attention of two horny teenagers. In a trashy motel room smelling of cigarettes and cheap beer, the three tennis-obsessed youngsters are on the verge of engaging in a threesome, but instead are left with the first of many challenges — Tashi tells them whoever wins the next day's match can have her phone number.

Between those two life-changing tennis matches, Challengers builds over a decade of professional and personal swings and misses, creating an increasingly tense dynamic driven by Tashi's thirst for "some good f**king tennis".

She's not talking about tennis, though.

Since a tragic knee injury ruined her career and pushed her into coaching, her understanding of life as a game only intensifies, pushing her "white boys" to meet every challenge (tennis-related or not) with an unapologetic hunger.

After stealing the show in Dune: Part Two , Zendaya delivers her best performance to date as the power-hungry Tashi, creating a beautiful journey from ambitious newcomer to frustrated wife and mother. Here the actor has room to explore more nuance, liberated from big sci-fi backgrounds and tragic teenage dramas.

In Challengers, she surprises at every turn, fully committed to giving this character the right amount of cunning, lust and sass. O'Connor's breathtakingly physical performance, and Faist's disarming innocence are perfect parts of the same triangle.

We've seen plenty of on-screen ménage à trois, from The Dreamers and Y Tu Mamá También to the recent Passages , but director Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes relish in the unexpected as they create their own rules for the game.

Guadagnino is in his element as he explores his favoured theme (sexual desire) through insane camera angles (from racket and ball POV shots to a surprising nadir shot that places viewers underneath the court) and a bouncy timeline moving back and forth like a high-octane rally.

The Italian director's background in fashion advertising shines through in this story too, as clothes (designed by Jonathan Anderson) become part of the narrative. Some scenes could be part of a highly stylish advertising campaign for the US Open.

The result is an exceptionally immersive experience, and Guadagnino's risk-taking visual storytelling turns Kuritzkes' script into a thrilling ride. Add Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' phenomenal synth score, and you have a movie that should be a game, set and match at the box office.

Challengers is released in cinemas on April 26.

April 2024 gift ideas and deals

Audible, 3 months for 99p

Watch the Fallout TV show for free

Buy Alison Hammond's outfits

How to watch Dune: Part 2 at home right now

Best refurbished phones you can buy in 2024

Apple TV+ 7-day free trial

Sign up for Disney+

PS5 Slim Consoles

Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits

Crunchyroll 14-day free trial

Bluey-themed family dinners launch at Gousto

Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile

Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas . 

Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK. 

She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service .    During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.     Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor. 

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Movie Reviews

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver review

Abigail is one of the year's bloodiest movies

Civil War review

Back to Black review

Scoop review: Is Netflix's movie worth a watch?

Monkey Man review

Ayo Edebiri’s new film is a must-see gem

Netflix's The Beautiful Game review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire review

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review

Is Sydney Sweeney's new horror movie worth seeing?

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

Try unlimited access Only $1 for 4 weeks

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital, weekend print + standard digital, weekend print + premium digital.

Today's FT newspaper for easy reading on any device. This does not include ft.com or FT App access.

• 10 additional gift articles per month
• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• Videos & Podcasts
• FT App on Android & iOS
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Premium newsletters
• Weekday Print Edition
• FT Weekend Print delivery
• Everything in Premium Digital

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• Everything in Print

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

International Edition

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Under the Bridge review: A truly depressing true-crime drama

Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone star in this adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey's book about the murder of Reena Virk.

Kristen Baldwin is the TV critic for EW

In the first episode of Under the Bridge , Hulu ’s relentlessly grim new true-crime drama, writer Rebecca Godfrey ( Riley Keough ) comes home to Victoria, British Columbia for the first time in 10 years. She’s flown in from New York to research her next book, about the “misunderstood girls” of her gorgeous but gloomy coastal town. Growing up, Rebecca was one of them — a rebellious kid who hid pot under the floorboards in her bedroom and partied with friends at an abandoned warehouse. She never really wanted to come back to Victoria, but the muse of her past misery beckons.

Early on in her visit, Rebecca hears about Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta), a local 14-year-old girl who went missing after going to an outdoor party. Sensing a hook for her story, Rebecca begins chatting up a band of teenagers — including Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry) and Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow), who live at the Seven Oaks foster care group home, and Kelly Ellard (Izzy G.) and Warren Glowatski (Javon Walton) — who were among the last people to see Reena alive. Rebecca’s informal investigation pushes her into an awkward reunion with Officer Cam Bentland ( Lily Gladstone ), who was her best friend until about a decade ago, when a mysterious falling out ended their relationship.

Jeff Weddell/Hulu

Over the course of the season, Under the Bridge jumps between past and present timelines, chronicling Reena’s final days — including her clashes with her mother ( Archie Panjabi ), a devout Jehovah’s Witness — and the investigation into her murder, as Rebecca and Cam sort through the rumors and lies to uncover who killed her, and why.

The more we learn about Reena and the Seven Oaks girls she so desperately wanted to impress, the clearer it becomes that the most terrifying thing about this story is its underlying mundanity — that fleeting mean-girl squabbles and adolescent angst could lead to an utterly senseless death. But writer Quinn Shephard ( Blame ), who adapted Godfrey’s book for the screen, clutters Under the Bridge with several half-formed plots that dilute the powerful narrative about sad, mad, and lonely kids channeling their pain into violence.

Darko Sikman/Hulu

The real Rebecca Godfrey, who passed away in 2022, wrote Under the Bridge from the perspective of the kids and investigators involved. The series, however, makes Rebecca a key protagonist. It’s an understandable impulse, given Godfrey’s ability to put the teen subjects at ease, which allowed them to tell her things they wouldn’t admit to other adults. Still, the show can’t decide if it's Rebecca’s — and to a lesser degree, Cam’s — story, or the story of Reena and the kids who ended her life so callously. From the outside, it’s clear the focus should be on the latter, but that poses a more practical problem: Would Hulu really gamble on a character-driven drama starring a group of mostly unknown young actors, excellent as they are? Probably not.

So, Keough and Gladstone loom large on the poster, and Under the Bridge is obligated to place a clumsy emphasis on the strained, vaguely defined relationship between Rebecca and Cam. Even six episodes in, when the two have a blowout fight over their conflicting interests in Reena’s case, it still isn't clear what the precise source of their pent-up anger and frustration actually was. The confrontation is well-acted but unearned.

Despite the uneven writing, the performances in Under the Bridge are consistently superb. The young actors are particularly impressive. Gupta, whose cherubic face belies an underlying intensity, vividly conveys Reena’s impotent teenage anger, while Goudry reveals the fragile spirit under Josephine’s wannabe-gangster bluster. Izzy G. brings a chilling edge to Kelly’s teenage insouciance, and Goodfellow is sweet and sympathetic as Dusty, who can’t summon the courage to do the right thing. Walton, who used his babyface to such discomfiting effect as Euphoria ’s Ashtray, is absolutely heartbreaking as Warren, a soft-spoken, neglected kid grappling with anguish he just can’t process.

Keough plays Rebecca with a kind of dreamy and alluring reserve, though her interactions with Warren veer uncomfortably close to flirtation. (If that was the intent… um, okay.) Gladstone elevates Cam beyond the character’s stern-yet-concerned cop framework. Though a subplot concerning Cam’s Native ancestry — she was adopted into a white family as a baby — feels shoehorned in, it at least gives Gladstone another emotional avenue to explore. Panjabi is reliably affecting as Reena’s shattered mother, Suman, and American Idol contender-turned-actor Anoop Desai is a standout as Reena’s kind and understanding uncle, Raj.

“You poisoned our life, and I need it to stop,” Suman tells one of the accused killers. “I forgive you… It’s the only way out of all of this.” It’s a devastating scene, and one that underscores the difficulty of watching the terrible story of Reena Virk's death unfold. True-crime shows — whether scripted or documentary — are almost always depressing, but seeing the perpetrators caught and held accountable can make the experience more bearable. With Under the Bridge , though, the justice is yet another tragedy — more young lives destroyed to pay for one so pointlessly taken. Grade: B- Under the Bridge premieres Wednesday, April 17, on Hulu.

Sign up for  Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter   to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone hunt a killer in Under the Bridge trailer
• Homicide: New York review: Grisly true-crime tales told with care
• 20 best TV shows based on a true story

Related Articles

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Back to Black

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

• Sam Taylor-Johnson
• Matt Greenhalgh
• Marisa Abela
• Eddie Marsan
• Jack O'Connell
• 49 User reviews
• 57 Critic reviews
• 50 Metascore

• Amy Winehouse

• Mitch Winehouse

• Blake Fielder-Civil

• Cynthia Winehouse

• Joey the dealer

• Nick Shymansky

• Janis Winehouse

• Raye Cosbert

• Chris Taylor

• Artist Development Man

• Aunt Melody

• Perfume Paul

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Marisa Abela did all the singing in this film herself. She trained extensively to mimic Amy Winehouse 's vocals.

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Challengers Link to Challengers
• Abigail Link to Abigail
• Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

• The Jinx: Season 2
• Knuckles: Season 1
• THEM: The Scare: Season 2
• Velma: Season 2
• The Big Door Prize: Season 2
• Secrets of the Octopus: Season 1
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story: Season 1
• We're Here: Season 4

Most Popular TV on RT

• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Under the Bridge Link to Under the Bridge
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

The Best TV Seasons Certified Fresh at 100%

Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Weekend Box Office Results: Civil War Earns Second Victory in a Row

Deadpool & Wolverine : Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More

• Trending on RT
• Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
• Play Movie Trivia

Mama Drama: Season 1 Reviews

No All Critics reviews for Mama Drama: Season 1.