Dakore Egbuson
Remi Castle
Overview
The story of billionaire industrialist Chief Beecroft, a flamboyant benefactor to a large extended family of relatives, household staff and assorted mistresses. Chief lives large, like there’s no tomorrow, until the day he dies suddenly and the ‘bullion van’ stops. What’s in his will and who gets all that money? What happens next will surprise you, as Chief Daddy has the last laugh from beyond the grave.
Cast
11 people
Reviews
5 min readThe Last Laugh of a Patriarch
I’ve seen this movie before. Not Chief Daddy specifically, but the story it tells—the sudden death of a wealthy, larger-than-life patriarch, the scramble for his fortune, the family secrets spilling out like loose change from a torn pocket. It’s a tale as old as capitalism itself, dressed up in Nollywood’s signature blend of melodrama and slapstick.
What makes Chief Daddy worth talking about isn’t its originality, but how it leans into the absurdity of its own premise, turning a familiar formula into something that feels both comforting and quietly subversive.
Niyi Akinmolayan, the director, knows he’s working with well-trodden ground. The film doesn’t bother pretending otherwise. Instead, it embraces the tropes of the "rich man dies, chaos ensues" genre with a wink.
The opening act is pure spectacle: Chief Beecroft (Richard Mofe-Damijo) is a man who lives as if he’s the main character in his own reality show. He throws money around like confetti, surrounds himself with a harem of mistresses, and treats his sprawling household like a court of sycophants. When he drops dead mid-celebration—because of course he does—it’s less a tragedy than the inciting incident for a farce.
The will is read, the family gathers, and the real fun begins.
What’s striking about Chief Daddy is how it balances its broad comedy with moments of genuine pathos. The film isn’t just a series of gags about greedy relatives and gold-digging mistresses; it’s also a meditation on legacy, family, and the performative nature of wealth. Chief Beecroft isn’t just a caricature of a rich man—he’s a man who has spent his life constructing a persona, only for that persona to collapse the moment he’s gone.
The people he leaves behind aren’t just vultures circling a carcass; they’re individuals who have built their lives around his myth, and now they’re forced to confront what’s left when the myth is gone.
Take the scene where the family gathers in the lawyer’s office to hear the will. The room is packed with relatives, mistresses, and hangers-on, all dressed in their finest mourning attire, their faces a mix of grief, greed, and barely concealed impatience. The lawyer, a deadpan presence amid the chaos, reads the will with the gravity of a man reciting a grocery list.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 5.2/10
"A lively but uneven family comedy-drama with standout performances, though its broad humor and pacing frustrate some viewers."
The film’s vibrant ensemble cast, particularly Funke Akindele and Bisola Aiyeola, delivers memorable moments that resonate with audiences, blending humor and emotional beats. latestnetflix.com's read is that however, the story’s reliance on exaggerated family dynamics and a meandering plot leaves many feeling it could have been tighter and more cohesive.
What viewers praise
- Strong ensemble cast Funke Akindele, Bisola Aiyeola, and other cast members bring energy and charisma, making their roles engaging and entertaining.
- Entertaining humor The comedic elements land well for many, providing lighthearted relief and keeping the tone lively throughout.
- Emotional depth Some viewers appreciate the balance of drama and heartfelt moments, particularly in family dynamics and inheritance themes.
Common complaints
- Over-the-top characters The exaggerated family stereotypes and broad humor feel cartoonish to some, detracting from the film’s realism.
- Pacing issues The plot drags in places, with uneven pacing that makes the story feel longer than necessary.
- Predictable storyline The inheritance and family conflict tropes follow familiar patterns, offering few surprises for viewers.
Recommended for
Nollywood comedy fans Family drama enthusiasts Funke Akindele admirers Lighthearted ensemble films Inheritance-themed stories
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe bullion van stopped on a Lagos Christmas. Netflix bought the hangover later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzO2BjNna90
Mo Abudu wanted a Christmas comedy. Variety got the first trailer in November 2018. EbonyLife had already made The Wedding Party and its sequel the two biggest Nigerian films on record. Chief Daddy was the next holiday swing, written by Bode Asiyanbi, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, who had just done The Wedding Party 2. Abudu told Variety, "Christmas is family time" 
. The plot is a billionaire industrialist, Chief Beecroft, who keeps relatives, staff, latestnetflix.com maintains, and mistresses on a bullion van until he dies at the table and the will starts a fight 
, .
The premiere at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos pulled more than 40 Nollywood names, Olu Jacobs among them. Funke Akindele, Joke Silva, Kate Henshaw, Patience Ozokwor, Nkem Owoh, Falz, and the Castle & Castle pair Richard Mofe-Damijo and Dakore Egbuson-Akande fill the credits , . Taiwo Obileye plays the title role and dies early, so the runtime belongs to the household fighting over the funeral budget and the will , . FilmOne said the opening weekend did about N42.6 million, beating The Wedding Party's opening, and made Akinmolayan the first director with two number-one Nigerian films in the same calendar year . THISDAY had it at N235.5 million after 18 days, the top Nollywood title of 2018 and then third all-time, with EbonyLife holding the entire podium. IMDb later logged N301.8 million in 24 days, the third film to clear N300 million. Wikipedia's later tally is N387.5 million , , 
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Netflix took it for the Netherlands on March 15, 2019, the third EbonyLife title after Fifty and The Wedding Party. The cast threw a white-outfit party at RSVP on Victoria Island. Abudu said the diaspora had been waiting . The original is messy and overstuffed, which is part of why it sold tickets. OkayAfrica later called it a major hit with many flaws, about N385.7 million .
Then the sequel arrived on Netflix on New Year's Day 2022 and the country piled on. Viewers called Going for Broke an embarrassment. Mo Abudu posted a video thanking people for caring. Akinmolayan later told Premium Times his hands were tied. "The question everybody needs to ask is, is Chief Daddy 2 a Niyi Akinmolayan film or a Netflix film?" He called the first movie his baby and said he was hardly involved in the second , . The 2018 film is the one that still streams as the Christmas scramble. The gossip that stuck is how fast a box-office win became a cautionary sequel.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.