Meet The Khumalos Review: Fun to Watch, But Nothing Special

Meet The Khumalos Review

Director: Jayan Moodley

Date Created: 2025-04-11 21:32

Editor's Rating:
2.5

Meet The Khumalos Review:  The movie is directed by Jayan Moodley, and the writers are Gillian Breslin and Wendy Gumede. This film brings together a talented cast, including Khanyi Mbau, Ayanda Borotho, Jesse Suntele, Khosi Ngema, Connie Chiume, Bonga Dlamini and others. The story is about two families who become neighbors — the rich and classy Khumalos and the simple and fun-loving Sitholes. The drama starts when their kids fall in love, but the mothers don’t like one another and try to break them up. It’s meant to be a family comedy with some emotional bits as well, with the mothers being forced to face not only each other but their pasts and their insecurities.

Meet The Khumalos Review

Okay, first of all, Netflix Meet The Khumalos’ acting was actually quite good. The two moms — Grace and Bongi — are vastly different people, and the actresses did a nice job of conveying that. Grace is ultra-strict, wealthy and pretentious, whereas Bongi is laid-back, loves to eat and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. Their argument was funny in places but also a little much sometimes.

There were also Sizwe and Sphe, the somewhat young couple that I liked. They looked adorable and appeared to be really trying to make their relationship work despite their moms acting insane. I felt sorry for them because they didn’t do anything, but their mothers just refused to stop interfering.

Another thing I loved was the mention of Zulu culture, particularly Sphe’s coming of age ceremony, umemulo. It felt good to see something new, and the cultural scenes were gorgeous. Appreciated the glimpse of their traditions out there, even though the movie did not explain everything.

There were also a few moments that made me smile, such as when the dads simply remained calm and didn’t get caught up in all the drama. That seemed relatable, how many dads just watching the play unfold from the sidelines.

But I did not like the movie as much as I expected to. For me, the biggest problem was that it was a slightly weak story. They inform us that Grace hates Bongi because of something that happened a long time ago, but when the cause is finally revealed, it’s not grave enough. We just get this one slight dialogue and this no good explanation. I was waiting for some big emotional moment that never arrived.

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It also felt over-the-top, and at times even silly, the way the mothers were. I know it’s a comedy, but I thought some of it was too dramatic. I mean, who sends fake pictures to end their own kids’ relationship? That felt simply unbelievable.

And the ending was too good to be true. All of a sudden, everyone is happy, the moms are best friends again, the kids are back together, and even the awful grandma apologises. It felt rushed. Real life doesn’t work that way, and I would have preferred a more realistic conclusion in the movie.

Summing Up

I didn’t actually hate Meet The Khumalos movie, to be honest. But I didn’t love it either. It was just okay. It had decent acting, a couple of funny parts and some sweet moments. But the narrative wasn’t compelling, and the emotional elements left my heart untouched. I wished for more drama or stronger feelings among the characters, especially the moms, who used to be best friends.

I also felt that the South African comedy film Meet The Khumalos wanted to impart a lesson to us somehow — that if you hold onto your anger, you’ll ruin your relationships and that parents shouldn’t dictate their kids’ love lives. Well, that was a good message, but they could have done better with showing it.

Meet The Khumalos 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.

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