(8) WHITE WEDDING with Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Zandile Msutwana and Jodie Whittaker. Directed by Jann Turner. (The Bridge). – Reviewed by Leon Muston

DESPITE being based on the tried and tested road trip buddy movie formula, this new South African film is a breath of fresh air and certainly one of the best local comedies to hit the circuit in a very long time.

Kenneth Nkosi and Rapulana Seiphemo, both of Tsotsi fame, play the groom, Elvis, and his bestman, Tumi.

Elvis needs to get from his home in Gauteng to his wedding to Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana) via Durban, where he is meeting Tumi. The trip doesn‘t get off to a good start when Elvis misses his bus and Tumi‘s girlfriend, in a rage after catching her man cheating, destroys the car they were supposed to travel to Cape Town in.

They eventually borrow another vehicle to get going on the trip, but Tumi manages to get them hopelessly lost in the rural Eastern Cape, where they pick up hitchhiking British girl Rose (Jodie Whittaker from the hit British film Venus).

Elvis isn‘t pleased about the extra passenger, while Rose is pretty miserable herself, having just been cheated on by her fiance.

Meanwhile in Cape Town Ayanda is stressing about whether Elvis will arrive in time, her ex-boyfriend is trying to manipulate the situation and her mother is also causing chaos with the wedding arrangements.

It‘s a film with multiple storylines, yet manages to avoid becoming convoluted.

It also shows a large number of different areas of South African life and culture and has a great soundtrack including The Parlotones, Hip Hop Pantsula and even Bok van Blerk‘s De la Rey in one very funny scene.

The story is interesting, the cinematography good and the humour enjoyable. While I wouldn‘t give any of the actors full marks for their performances, they handle their roles fairly well, and overall it‘s a film which will make you feel proud of the recent advances in local filmmaking.