I recently watched "Cooked up Love", a Nigerian romantic comedy about a charming TV chef named Abbey (Jimmy Odukoya) who reunites with his old flame Molade (Helen Enado Odigie) when she appears as a guest on his cooking show. While the chemistry between the two leads was palpable, the twist involving Molade's past relationship with Abbey was poorly executed and contrived.
Molade's behavior towards Abbey was confusing and inconsistent. She acted as if she didn't know him, even teasing her sister about having a crush on him, despite their shared romantic past. It was frustrating to watch her treat Abbey poorly without a clear explanation for her behavior.
To add to the confusion, there was a cooking contest that Molade and her sister won, leading to their appearance on Abbey's show. Molade could have easily declined the invitation if she didn't want to see Abbey, but instead she showed up to treat him badly.
I almost lost interest in the movie around the one hour and thirty minute mark because there were too many plot holes and the reasons behind Molade's behavior were unclear. However, the story picked up when their friends intervened and forced them to talk. Through this conversation, we finally learned the truth about what had been troubling Molade.
Overall, while the leads looked good together, the poorly executed twist made "Cooked up Love" fall short for me. Molade's annoying behavior towards Abbey before her confession didn't help either.
I did enjoy their happily ever after so I'll give this one five stars.
