Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
She loves her pal, who is marrying another; sex, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Yoh! Bestie
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In YOH! BESTIE, Thando (Katlego Lebogang) is sad when Charles (Siya Raymond Sepotokele), her best friend and ex-roommate, moves to New York. All her friends know she's in love with him, but she denies it until he returns two years later with his unannounced fiancée, Rea (Fikile Mthwalo), a wealthy and overbearing businesswoman. Thando sees the way Rea is trying to remake Charles into an inauthentic version of himself, and she knows Charles will never be happy with her. She agrees to be his "best man" and flies to the island paradise where they've planned the beachfront wedding. Will Charles and Thando get together?
Is It Any Good?
Yoh! Bestie ends on a sweet note, but there's a lot of fluff on the way to that heartfelt moment. Secondary characters negotiate a clownish relationship in which the man is offended when the impatient woman he loves has the nerve to usurp his manhood and propose. When he jumps in the water and can't swim, his manly pride is hurt when his girlfriend saves him. Things are only resolved between them when he can treat her as if she's helpless.
Beyond that diversion, the viewer has to deal with the fact that of Charles' women, Rea is over-the-top smug, while the other, Thando, is over-the-top possessive. And why she loves him is a mystery. Sepotokele has a wonderful voice, but the things he's given to say as Charles don't instill in viewers a sense that he's a guy worth the jealousy Thando is feeling. When Thando learns Charles thinks of her as too "messy," that view makes him seem unappealing and condescending, too. And there's never a sense that Charles regards Thando with anything but distant bemusement. If that relationship ever had depth, there's no evidence of it in the script.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the feeling of unrequited love. How does Thando cope with being in love with someone who doesn't seem to be in love with her?
A man makes it clear that he's not comfortable when his girlfriend tells him what to do, saves him, or proposes to him—he explains that in his view, these are all actions only men should take. Do you agree? Why, or why not?
How does the movie represent the woman Charles is about to marry? How do you think Charles feels when she tells him she loves the man he's going to become?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 16, 2026
- Cast : Katlego Lebogang , Siya Raymond Sepotokele , Fikile Mthwalo
- Director : Johnny Barbuzano
- Inclusion Information : 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 : Romance
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 17, 2026
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