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The Secret Laughter of Women

Play trailer Poster for The Secret Laughter of Women 1999 1h 39m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 0 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The son (Fissy Roberts) of a Nigerian exile (Nia Long) introduces her to a comic-book writer (Colin Firth) who, although married, begins to fall in love with her.

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This movie was not everything it could have been, but it was still very good. Colin Firth is a brilliant actor, as is NIa Long. The romance between these two was not entirely believable, meaning- I wasn't sold on the idea. However, this movie is saved by the hilarious conversations between the women, the gorgeous scenery, and the interactions between the other characters. Worth watching, Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member hmmm ...so this is meant to be a rather sweet tv romantic movie. I started watching because ...Nia Long ...and I like Colin Firth too. Plus every now and again its good to try something different. Some reviewers are able to enjoy it as just a cross cultural romance with maybe just a few dodgy accents and maybe some limited budget, however... It's hard for any BAME member to not feel ever so uncomfortable with the underlying connotation. Its better than 'The other side of the line' just because there is much better acting all around. The 'treatment' given the black is much harsher though. I wont be surprised if its the same production team. It's got a Wild Sargasso Sea feel to it ...plus Nia is SMOKING!!! :-) Also, not all Nigerians are portrayed in a bad light Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting culture, particularly the talking in riddles to avoid being rude (which the ladies pretty much did all the time). Didn't like the Colin Firth character and think the couple lacked spark. Cute little boy though (although very strange accent). Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Strange, quirly African love story, with the unlikely addition of Mr Darcy- Colin firth, He be friends a young African boy who requests him to marry his Mum. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member I guess the laughter really was a secret, and I wasn't let in on it. Did not like. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member The structure of this film was all wrong. It had a good yet unoriginal idea, but didn't bother to fill in the plot with the necessary relationship-building scenes between Matthew, Sammy and Nimi. I was constantly wondering why they were attracted to each other, and then why one of them was getting so angry when they had just half a minute of time together. I think they went a bit overboard when cutting the reel in this one. The costumes and colours of the African clothing was lovely to see and the proverbs and general banter of all characters was amusing and enjoyable. The most memorable moment for me was early on in the film when Colin wanted to buy Sammy an icecream; "Don't just stand there like an Oxfam poster." Overall, this could have been a lot better as the acting was very believable and realistic. I would very much like to see an uncut version. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Secret Laughter of Women

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis The son (Fissy Roberts) of a Nigerian exile (Nia Long) introduces her to a comic-book writer (Colin Firth) who, although married, begins to fall in love with her.
Director
Peter Schwabach
Producer
Misan Sagay, Jon Slan
Screenwriter
Misan Sagay
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 39m