"Ada Omo Daddy" Suffers From Identity Crisis

This Wedding Party derivative feels as bad as it.

Ada Omo Daddy tells the story of Pero (Omowunmi Dada), a young woman whose world is upended when a man claiming to be her biological father suddenly resurfaces just as she is preparing for her wedding. Ifeanyi, played by Nollywood veteran Charles Okafor, is a ghost from the past who reappears at the height of her success, demanding to reclaim his place in her life. It’s a classic Nollywood setup—family secrets, high-stakes drama, and a looming wedding to tie it all together. But while this premise holds promise, the execution leaves much to be desired. The film, currently streaming on Netflix and Circuits TV, stretches on for two hours, yet somehow still manages to feel incomplete. By the time the credits roll, you might find yourself wondering, “That’s it?”

One of the film’s early strengths is its setup. The way Ifeanyi discovers Pero’s existence is an interesting reflection of modern-day social media obsession. Pero’s younger sister, an influencer through and through, cannot resist oversharing every detail of her family’s life online. Her need to feed content to her audience is practically a character trait, and when she live-streams a family moment celebrating Pero’s engagement, it unknowingly opens the door for Ifeanyi’s return. It’s a simple but believable detail that adds a layer of authenticity—one of the few times the film manages to do so. Another area where the movie makes an effort, albeit a feeble one, is in portraying wealth and industry. It teases an extravagant world, complete with luxurious mansions, designer outfits, and references to business empires. Its inclusion as a highlight of the film is mostly a guilty pleasure, but also asymptomatic of the fact that there is very little going well for this film that was termed a blockbuster upon its debut in cinemas in December 2023.

Whatever goodwill the setup builds quickly crumbles under the weight of the film’s many flaws. Chief among them is the atrocious audio mixing that came bundled with its Netflix debut at the time of writing this review (February 2025). The sound is inconsistent, fluctuating between clear dialogue and moments where conversations are drowned out by overpowering background music. At times, two characters in the same scene have noticeably different audio levels, making it frustrating to follow the dialogue. Even Netflix Naija’s official Instagram page posted a clip where the poor audio was apparent, showing just how glaring the issue is. If the version released on streaming is this bad, one can only imagine how it might have sounded in cinemas. For a film with a theatrical run and now available for even more people to watch on the go, this level of technical oversight is unforgivable.

Pacing is another problem that makes Ada Omo Daddy a chore to sit through. Several scenes drag on for far too long, stretching simple conversations into tedious exchanges. One particularly painful moment involves an argument between Ireti, Aunty Motun, Ifeanyi, and his uncle—an exhausting back-and-forth where everyone just keeps cutting each other off. It goes on for so long that it becomes difficult to stay engaged. And then there’s Pero, our protagonist, who makes it even harder to invest in the story. She is frustratingly dull, and her emotions are poorly handled by the writing. She lashes out at everyone except the one person who actually deserves her anger—her absentee father. Her reactions feel misplaced, unearned, and at times outright ridiculous. Even her mother, in a moment of justified exasperation, calls her an ingrate in one scene and delivers the classic African mother slap for a much-needed reality check.

Victor, Pero’s fiancé, is another casualty of the film’s weak characterization. Played by Tayo Faniran, his performance is disappointingly wooden, with little to no energy in his delivery. It’s hard to believe this is the same actor who brought so much presence to Gangs of Lagos. Here, he is miscast and uninspired, a far cry from the strong, charismatic figure the story needed.

Beyond the technical flaws and weak performances, Ada Omo Daddy is ultimately undone by its messaging. The film seems to romanticize the idea of deadbeat fathers returning and being accepted with open arms, a notion that feels particularly tone-deaf. Ifeanyi abandoned his daughter for nearly three decades, only to waltz back into her life and demand a place at her wedding. And somehow, the story bends over backward to justify his actions, treating his sudden remorse as if it erases years of neglect to her and her mother who he was once married to. At a time when conversations around absentee fathers and parental responsibility are more prominent than ever, this kind of storytelling feels not just outdated but irresponsible.

With its sluggish pacing, shallow characters, technical mishaps, and questionable messaging, Ada Omo Daddy is the kind of film destined to be forgotten. Even the extravagant wedding reception at the end does little to save it. It’s a lavish spectacle, sure, but it lacks the charm of the Nollywood wedding romcoms that audiences have come to love. The Wedding Party this is not, and anyone expecting that level of fun and heart will be sorely disappointed.

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Directed by: Akay Mason and Adebayo Tijani

Written by: Yakubu Olawale

Starring: Omowunmi Dada, Sola Sobowale, Charles Okafor, Dele Odule, Tayo Faniran, Mercy Aigbe, Chiwetalu Agu, Tomi Ojo, Carol King, Fred Amata, and others