Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Estranged friends join to end their kids' romance; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Meet the Khumalos
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MEET THE KHUMALOS, Bongi Sithole (Ayanda Borotho) and her husband and daughter Sphe (Khosi Ngema) move into a beautiful home in a high-end South African community. Bongi is loud and outgoing, the brains and drive behind the family's successful tourism business. Gracious (Khanyi Mbau) has been living in the house next door, swanning about in lovely dresses, seemingly bossing her husband and son around for years. She dictates what foods they eat and directs her college-age son Sizwe (Jesse Suntele) as if he were a child. The moment Gracious meets Bongi, it's clear they knew each other in a previous life, and the mutual dislike is evident. Despite their built-in friction, they immediately hold their noses and team up in an absurd plot to break up the romance between Sphe and Sizwe.
Is It Any Good?
The comedy is beyond broad in Meet the Khumalos, and the poor actors try so hard to make this tired sitcom-style movie come to life. Jayan Moodley is a South African director of Indian descent who, it appears, has already made the South African-Indian version of this movie, the 2017 Keeping Up with the Kandasamys. In that version, as in this latest one, two women neighbors hate each other but join forces to thwart the romance between their two children. The 2017 film reflected Indian culture as practiced in South Africa, and this latest iteration tries to focus on the habits of upper-crust Black South African culture.
The people here, especially Bongi and Gracious, are caricatures and unlikable ones at that. If we are to believe at the end that they're both really decent, caring people, then why didn't one just apologize to the other from the start, or, better yet, years ago? The only way this movie becomes tolerable is by giving those two petty women personality transplants, empathy, and generosity. When they somehow do get those qualities it's utterly unbelievable. For that reason, the Bongi and Gracious of the film's last minutes seem to be two completely different people and, finally, we can like them. If only the entire movie had been about that version of them. The music and dance at the end are great, and it's worth watching the credits to enjoy them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether it's believable that two women who seem to hate each other so much would collaborate to break up their children's romance. Do you believe it? Why, or why not?
The two husbands become great friends in secret. What does the movie say about their marriages that they have to keep their friendship secret from their wives?
How are women portrayed here? Bossy and domineering wives and mothers dictate behavior to their families. What stereotypes about women does this promote?
Both women exhibit compassion, gentleness, and understanding at the end. Does that make sense, given their established personalities?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 11, 2025
- Cast : Ayanda Borotho , Khanyi Mbau , Jesse Suntele
- Director : Jayan Moodley
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , African Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , African Movie Writer(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sex references, language
- Last updated : May 4, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate