Movie Review: Glamour Girls
In terms of audience anticipation, the Netflix remake of “Glamour Girls” carried substantial expectations in the nostalgia department. The 1994 original stands as an unarguable classic from Nollywood’s formative era — a film that broke boundaries and helped establish Nigeria’s cinematic identity. Fans approached this modernized version with hope that it might capture the spirit of its predecessor while leveraging contemporary production capabilities.
How does this streaming remake compare to its venerated source material? The contrast couldn’t be more stark: while the original left audiences captivated and established itself as a cultural touchstone, the 2022 version leaves viewers extremely disappointed and utterly confused about its fundamental narrative purpose. The remake manages the remarkable feat of making its decades-old predecessor seem not just relevant but revolutionary by comparison.
For its time, the 1994 “Glamour Girls” was indeed groundbreaking — both in storyline and execution. It pushed boundaries in Nigerian cinema, addressing themes of ambition, exploitation, and moral compromise with a boldness that resonated with audiences. The film wasn’t merely entertaining; it was culturally significant, capturing a particular moment in Nigerian society while delivering compelling drama.
What makes the remake particularly frustrating is its failure to capitalize on the tremendous advancements in filmmaking technology and technique over the intervening decades. Given today’s sophisticated production capabilities and the increasingly discerning palate of global streaming audiences, this new iteration is disappointingly retrogressive — seeming to understand neither what made the original effective nor what contemporary viewers expect from a modern thriller.
The dialogue throughout feels artificial and forced, lacking the authenticity necessary to ground its provocative subject matter. The acting ranges from merely adequate to actively distracting, with performers struggling to breathe life into thinly written characters. Rather than building on the foundation laid by the original film, the remake dismantles it piece by piece, replacing substance with style and narrative coherence with disjointed spectacle.
Perhaps the most damning aspect of this remake is its storyline — a haphazardly assembled collection of scenes that never coalesce into a compelling narrative. The plot contains more holes than a stripper’s mesh outfit, demanding viewers make impossible leaps of logic while failing to reward their patience with meaningful payoffs. Basic questions of character motivation remain unanswered, while potentially interesting thematic elements are introduced only to be immediately abandoned.
The film’s attempts at creating suspense or emotional investment are repeatedly undermined by its own internal inconsistencies. Characters make decisions that contradict their established personalities, while the central conflict shifts so frequently that viewers eventually stop trying to follow its meandering path. What should be a taut exploration of ambition and its consequences instead becomes an exercise in narrative confusion.
Among the many disappointments, certain performances stand out for their particular inability to elevate the material. Toke Makinwa’s turn as one of the titular glamour girls ranks among the film’s most problematic elements — her delivery oscillating between wooden and exaggerated without ever finding authentic emotional notes. Her discomfort with the role is palpable, making it impossible for viewers to lose themselves in the fiction being presented.
Adding to the performance issues, the film’s costuming choices often distract rather than enhance. In one particularly memorable scene, Makinwa appears in a garish white ensemble that manages to be simultaneously unflattering and visually jarring — drawing attention away from the scene’s intended purpose (whatever that might have been, as the film rarely makes its intentions clear). This costume represents in microcosm the film’s larger issues: prioritizing a misguided attempt at visual impact over narrative function or aesthetic coherence.
Despite its title promising sophistication and allure, there is nothing truly glamorous about this remake. The film fails to capture either the dangerous attraction of its subject matter or the social commentary that might justify its exploration. The lifestyle it depicts seems neither enticing nor particularly illuminating — merely a poorly rendered backdrop for a story the filmmakers themselves don’t appear to fully understand.
By the time the credits roll, the experience feels less like entertainment and more like an endurance test — a two-hour cringeworthy escort service that leaves viewers more turned off than turned on. Where the original “Glamour Girls” managed to balance its provocative elements with genuine dramatic weight, this remake offers all of the former’s superficial aspects with none of its substance.
The “Glamour Girls” remake represents a missed opportunity of significant proportions. Rather than honoring the legacy of an important Nollywood classic while updating it for contemporary audiences, the film instead tarnishes that legacy through its incoherent storytelling, subpar performances, and lack of clear vision.
For viewers with fond memories of the original, this remake serves only to highlight how special that 1994 film truly was. For newcomers hoping to understand the appeal of the “Glamour Girls” concept, this version offers no insight — only confusion and disappointment. In attempting to recapture the magic of a beloved classic, this remake has instead created a cautionary tale about the perils of prioritizing nostalgia over narrative integrity. 3/10
