Lobola Man Review: Is the New Netflix Entry Worth Watching?

Lobola Man is one of Netflix’s recent acquisitions which originally released in Zulu but has been dubbed in English for the global streaming platform. The movie stars Obed Baloyi, Primo Baloyi, and Letuka Dlamini as its leads, and promises a hilarious ride that presents a modern commentary on a traditional South African trend.

Lobola in itself refers to ‘bride price,’ which means that the Lobola Man effectively delves into the hilarious adventures of a negotiator who pretends to be a family member during Lobola marriage negotiations. The movie features the following official synopsis:

“Ace Ngubeni, a slick lobola negotiator, faces his toughest deal yet for a shy client - only to find the stakes are higher than cash.”

Featuring a hilarious montage of characters, led by Obed Baloyi’s Ace Ngubeni, the movie has received favorable reviews and might be the perfect for viewers looking for a relaxing watch that tickles their ribs. The movie itself, due to the way it presents South African culture to a global audience, takes the form of a unique comedy despite it featuring a plot that most might find predictable.

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Netflix’s Lobola Man: A Review

Ace is introduced as a professional Lobola negotiator with a charming personality, often posing as a fake family member for his clients to increase the ‘bride price.’ The story takes a turn when he takes on a new client, Duke, played by Vincent Mahlangu.

Duke wants to marry Zandi, played by Kwanele Mthethwa, with whom Ace has a complicated history. This sets off a predictable yet hilarious plot as Ace falls in love with Zandi again, creating a love triangle filled with humor and memorable dialogue.

Lobola Man not only proves to be a stellar comedy, but it also brings a range of cultural and contextual humor that adds authenticity to the overall narrative. Viewers get to see how African families operate with respect to weddings, and how the Lobola negotiations in themselves play a major role in determining the compatibility of the couple.

The character of Ace plays a major role in making the movie a truly worthwhile comedy. Ace is seen hilariously explaining to one of his clients why the ‘bride price,’ must be lowered, going into detail about how the bride already has two children from former relationships.

The awkwardness during these encounters, along with the range of humorous characters who are part of Duke’s family further raise the tempo of the movie. Ace is seen undergoing a range of preparations for his newest client but then ends up falling in love once again with Zandi, which puts him in an utterly difficult position.

Without giving too much away, Lobola Man is a hilarious ride right from the opening sequence of the movie. While the narration and the plot prove to be predictable, the charm of Lobola Man is with respect to the chemistry between the cast. The filming was done in Zolo, which means that the characters show a unique sense of humor which becomes even more hilarious when viewed in English.

Lobola Man is now available to be viewed on Netflix.