Romcoms live or die by one thing: chemistry. That spark between the two leads: the glances that linger, the playful banter that feels unscripted, creating the kind of tension that makes audiences root for love even when all odds are against the ship. Nollywood understands this magic of blending humour, drama, and romance in ways that feel uniquely Nigerian, yet globally relatable.
In this list, we spotlight the Nollywood romcoms where the chemistry is so undeniable, you’ll find yourself grinning at the screen and replaying certain scenes. If you’ve ever doubted Nollywood’s ability to deliver “10/10 chemistry,” you should watch these movies.
10. The Art of Heart (2025)
Running time: 1h 35m
Director: Jide ‘JBlaze’ Oyegbile
Genre: Romcom, Drama
Atikah (Sophie Alakija) is trying to keep her gallery—and her sense of self—afloat while dodging family expectations and the suffocating myth of the “perfect relationship.” Enter Diaga (Michael Ejoor), who’s sworn off romance after his own heartbreak but can’t help being drawn to her.
What makes The Art of Heart work isn’t just the push-pull of “will they, won’t they?”—it’s how grounded both leads are. Alakija plays Atikah with a quiet spark that feels real, while Ejoor’s restrained, almost wary presence balances her perfectly.
Together, they find that sweet spot of romcom chemistry: vulnerable without being saccharine, romantic without ever tipping into melodrama.
Watch The Art of Heart on YouTube.
9. From Lagos With Love (2018)
Running time: 1h 25m
Director: Tola Odunsi
Genre: Romcom
On the surface, From Lagos With Love plays like a breezy romance, but it’s really two love stories tangled up in Lagos-sized complications. Ify (Enado Odigie), 32 and still reeling from a messy breakup, is juggling family expectations with the terrifying possibility of starting over.
Her spark with Maxwell (Nonso Bassey) isn’t fireworks so much as a slow burn—charged looks, unresolved tension, and the kind of silences that feel louder than dialogue.
The second couple, Tunde (John Ogah) and his fiancée Sam (Damilola Adegbite), add their own friction: he’s younger, she’s an actress, and together they’re fighting off age gaps, cultural judgment, and the weight of tradition.
The magic here isn’t in glossy romcom tropes—it’s in how the film lets real-world pressures crash into romance, making every kiss and conflict feel like it actually matters.
Watch From Lagos With Love on Plex.
Subscribe to Zikoko Pop newsletter, The Feed, for the most important pop culture news
8. Love In Every Word (2025)
Running time: 1h 55m
Director: Stanley Obi
Genre: Romcom, Drama
Chioma (Bamike “Bam Bam” Olawunmi-Adenibuyan) is a Lagos woman who knows exactly what she doesn’t want: another man who echoes the flaws of the men in her life, from her exes to her father. So when Obiora (Uzor Arukwe), a charming Igbo businessman, shows up and ticks all the boxes she swore she’d avoid, Chioma’s carefully curated world starts to unravel.
Set against a backdrop of workplace chaos and societal expectations, Love In Every Word explores how real romance is rarely tidy. The tension between Chioma and Obiora doesn’t come from dramatic gestures or grand proclamations alone—it lives in the push and pull, the pointed truths, and the moments of longing that make their connection feel real.
It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s exactly what makes their chemistry unforgettable.
Watch Love In Every Word on YouTube.
7. Soft Love (2024)
Running time: 1h 54m
Director: Holmes Awa
Genre: Romcom, Drama
There’s heartbreak, and then there’s being left humiliated at the altar. That’s the baggage Zandi Jele (Cindy Mahlangu), a South African relationship guru ironically out of faith in love, carries into Soft Love.
Edward Obi (Efa Iwara) is a Nigerian photographer dodging his own romantic scars, when suddenly, what starts as polite camaraderie blooms into a delicate, cross-continental connection.
The film thrives in the push and pull—funny, almost-embarrassed exchanges rubbing up against sincere moments that feel too vulnerable to fake. Mahlangu and Iwara spark in a way that makes “reparative love” (corny on paper, swoony on screen) believable.
It’s a romance that doesn’t just cross borders—it softens them.
Watch Soft Love on Prime Video.
READ NEXT: How These 10 Fictional Nollywood Couples Will Celebrate Valentine’s Day
6. The Wedding Party (2016)
Running time: 1h 50m
Director: Kemi Adetiba
Genre: Romantic Comedy
The movie that basically invented the modern Nollywood blockbuster formula. On paper, it’s a simple setup: Dunni Coker (Adesua Etomi-Wellington), finally tying the knot with Dozie Onwuka (Banky W), an IT golden boy.
But nothing about this wedding is simple. Parents feud, in-laws meddle, exes crash, vendors collapse, and chaos sweeps through every chandelier-lit corner of the reception. Somehow, in the middle of all that glittering mess, Dunni and Dozie’s love feels both aspirational and painfully real.
The chemistry isn’t glossy perfection—it’s in the little cracks: her doubts, his pressure to hold it all together, and the way they still choose each other through the madness. It’s not just a romcom; it’s a Nollywood fairy tale in gele and champagne.
Watch The Wedding Party on MUBI.
5. The Perfect Lie (2025)
Running time: 1h 52m
Director: Magnifique Ecrivaine
Genre: Romcom, Drama
Alero (Ekama Etim-Inyang) is an independent lawyer. Kunle (Michael Dappa) is a tech-savvy school rival. In Lagos, where renting an apartment can feel like navigating a minefield, these two are forced into a convenient lie: pretend they’re married to beat a biased system.
What starts as strategy quickly spirals into chaos—fake wedding photos, nosy neighbors, clashing boundaries, and the kind of unexpected attraction that refuses to stay fake. Both are witty, flawed, and unapologetically human, making every awkward moment feel like real life. Beneath the jokes and staged smiles, the story asks: when does pretending end and real love begin?
Watch The Perfect Lie on YouTube.
4. Big Love (2023)
Running time: 1h 42m
Director: Biodun Stephen
Genre: Romcom, Drama
Adil (Timini Egbuson), the golden boy with drive and family privilege, collides again with Adina (Bimbo Ademoye), the fiercely independent woman he once knew back in school. At first, their chemistry sparks in the banter and flirtation of a reunion, but it quickly grows into something harder to deny.
The catch? Adina is secretly a single mother, terrified that her reality will cost her both love and opportunity. When Adil bends the truth to his family—claiming her son as his own—the stakes rise from sweet romance to messy entanglement.
Big Love thrives in this tension, layering charm and tenderness with the weight of judgment, secrets, and societal expectations. Through it all, Adil and Adina’s connection feels lived-in and undeniable: not just “will they or won’t they,” but “can love survive the lies we tell to protect it?”
Watch Big Love on Prime Video.
3. This Lady Called Life (2014)
Running time: 2h
Director: Kayode Kasum
Genre: Romcom, Drama
Aiye (Bisola Aiyeola), a single mother and aspiring chef abandoned by her family, tries to make a space for her dreams in Lagos.
She meets Obinna (Efa Iwara), a romantic who isn’t flashy but whose kindness and steady belief in her pull the story forward. Their chemistry is built in the small things: stolen looks during tense family moments, quiet encouragement and laughter in the face of hardship.
It’s genuine because both Aiye and Obinna carry pain, fears, and hopes. But what makes their connection richer is that love becomes healing, instead of an escape.
Watch This Lady Called Life on MUBI.
2. Flower Girl (2013)
Running time: 1h 33m
Director: Michelle Bello
Genre: Romcom
This movie is built on the “fake relationship to real feelings” trope, and it executes it with flair and humour. Kemi (Damilola Adegbite) is a hopeful florist in love with her long-term boyfriend, Umar (Chris Attoh), but drama ensues when that relationship starts to feel stale.
We meet Tunde (Blossom Chukwujeku), a movie star, by accident after Kemi has a minor accident delivering flowers. He helps her with a plan to make Umar jealous by posing as her new beau. Their chemistry is intense because it comes from two people thrust into vulnerability, which makes every laugh, longing, look, and moment of jealousy count. This is the kind of romcom where you believe in love as it unfolds.
Watch Flower Girl on Prime Video.
1. Isoken (2017)
Running time: 1h 40m
Director: Jadesola Osiberu
Genre: Romcom, Drama
This movie cracks the “10/10 chemistry” energy wide open by focusing on Isoken herself. She seems to have it all — looks, family, success — but is under pressure for being unmarried at 34 in a culture where marriage is a must. Her mother arranges a match with Osaze (Joseph Benjamin), “the perfect Edo man.”
But things take a turn when Isoken meets Kevin (Marc Rhys), a white photojournalist. Something about him makes her question what her family and tradition expect of her. Their chemistry is strong because her vulnerability is grounded, there’s emotional tension between duty and personal desire, and Kevin brings charm and cultural contrast. But Isoken is more than a love story; it stands out for exploring race, identity, tradition, and self-love.
