Single and Married

Single and Married
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Pascal Amanfo
Produced by	Yvonne Nelson
Written by	Pascal Amanfo
Starring	Yvonne Nelson Chris Attoh Nadia Buari Tana Adelana Kofi Adjorlolo Eddie Watson Jane 'Efya' Awindor
Narrated by	Anita Erskin
Music by	Benny Arnti
Cinematography	Kwame Awuah
Edited by	Okey Benson
Production company	Media GH YN Production Pascal Amanfo Expression
Distributed by	Silverbird Distribution
Release dates	22 September 2012 (2012-09-22) (Ghana) 28 September 2012 (2012-09-28) (Nigeria)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Ghana Nigeria
Language	English

Single and Married is a 2012 Ghanaian Nigerian romantic blue comedy film, produced by Yvonne Nelson and directed by Pascal Amanfo; it stars Yvonne Nelson, Chris Attoh, Nadia Buari, Tana Adelana, Kofi Adjorlolo, Eddie Watson and Jane 'Efya' Awindor.^[1] The film "centres on the drama, the intrigue and the dirty little secrets of three male friends, their sex lives, being single or married, and all the in-betweens".^[2]

The film was met with negative to mixed reviews; However, it received ten nominations at the 2012 Ghana Movie Awards and won four awards at the event, which includes "Best Picture", "Best Directing (English Language)", "Best Actress in a Support Role (English)", and "Best Cinematography".^[3] A sequel to the film, titled Single, Married and Complicated was released in 2014.^[4][5]

Plot

Jay (Chris Attoh), a casanova, to the surprise of his friends proposes to his girlfriend, Kimora (Yvonne Nelson); Jay's friend, Raymond (Kay Elliot), a casanova who's now also married to one of Kimora's friends, Paula (Nadia Buari) is indifferent, but Andy (Eddie Watson), the "baddest" of the trio thinks Jay is about to get into a lifetime imprisonment. One year after their marriage, Jay is already having an extra-marital affair with Judith (Jane Awindor), and constantly lies to Kimora. Jay eventually breaks up with Judith, because she's become too possessive of him; on his way out of Judith's apartment, Jay bumps into Raymond, who's also coming out of a mistress' apartment, thereby discovering each other's secrets. Apparently, Paula, a lawyer, is always busy with work and never finds time for Raymond, while Kimora has also refused to give Jay a blowjob. Paula introduces Raymond to Yolanda (Itz Tiffany), her old time friend, and Raymond starts to have an affair with her as well.

Vida (Tana Adelana), who is a friend to Kimora and Paula, is married to Ranesh (Kofi Adjorlolo), a 59 year old man who leaves her very unsatisfied in bed. She meets Andy, who just moved into the next apartment and eventually confesses to him that she wants to have sex with him, leading to Vida having an extra marital affair. Judith turns out to be a friend to Kimora, and she's come to stay with the couple for a month; Judith however constantly taunts Jay in front of his wife. Jay speaks out of tune during an argument with Kimora, leading to him confessing his affairs, including the one with Judith. Paula realizes that she's had a very bad sex life with her husband, so she makes a sex timetable; this makes Raymond infuriated and he asks for a divorce as a result. During the divorce deliberation, Paula reveals that she knows about Raymond's affair with Yolanda, and that it was in fact a bet between her and Yolanda.

Kimora packs out of Jay's house, while Ranesh catches his wife and Andy having sex; Andy escapes by jumping down from the first storey of the building, and he breaks his leg as a result. Paula gets back together with her husband having been convinced by her counselor. Raymond apologizes about everything, while Paula asks sweetly how many times he'd want to have sex in a week. Kimora, also after going to a counselor goes back to Jay and asks him to pull down his pants for a blowjob, but he refuses, overwhelmed by her presence. Andy is accousted by a lady who claims she's pregnant for him and tries to make a scene; Andy however cunningly escapes from her.

Cast

• Yvonne Nelson as Kimora
• Chris Attoh as Jay
• Nadia Buari as Paula
• Tana Adelana as Vida
• Kofi Adjorlolo as Ranesh
• Eddie Watson as Andy
• Anita Erskin as Ruby
• Kay Elliot as Raymond
• Jane Awindor as Judith
• Lisa Raymond as Sandy
• Michelle McKinney Hammond as Counselor
• Itz Tiffany as Yolanda

Release

The film's trailer was released on YouTube on the 25 July 2012, and currently has about ten million views, making it one of the most watched Nollywood trailers.^[6][7] It was released in Ghana on 22 September 2012,^[8][9] and premiered at the Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos on 28 September 2012.^[2]

Reception

Critical reception

The film received negative to mixed critical reviews. It has a 24% rating on Nollywood Reinvented, which talked down on the story, direction, and panned the actors' performances. It concluded by stating: "Cinematography was nearly nonexistent! Pascal Amanfo did not do a shabby job - It wasn’t that bad; [However], with a movie like this and a title like Single and Married, I think it’d be a bit far-fetched to watch this movie looking for an amazing storyline. If you go in seeking a magnanimous storyline or to be thrilled, sorry but you will be disappointed. So go in to watch people drive fancy cars, live in pretty houses and wear colourful clothes".^[10] The Ghanaian Chronicle gave a positive review, commenting: "The storyline raised serious issues about why spouses cheat on their partners and how to stop them. But it was told in a rather subtle, entertaining way. It is indeed a must-see movie".^[11]

Awards

Single and Married had ten nominations at the 2012 Ghana Movie Awards, including: "Best Actress in a Lead Role (English)" for Nelson, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role (English)" for Attoh, "Best Picture – African Collaboration", "Best Editing", "Best Art Direction" and "Best Music (Original Song)". It eventually won: "Best Picture", "Best Directing (English Language)", "Best Actress in a Support Role (English)", and "Best Cinematography" at the ceremony.

References

External links

• Single and Married at Nollywood Reinvented
• Single and Married trailer on YouTube