Toni Tones’ Lara Thompson has long been one of the standout characters from The Smart Money Woman. Sharp-tongued, effortlessly stylish, and emotionally layered, Lara brought a needed complexity to the friend group, so when word spread that she’d be getting her spin-off, expectations soared. A character this compelling deserved her spotlight. But now that Lara Unlimited is here, the real question is: was it worth it?

Climbing the Ladder, But the Rungs Are Missing

Lara is poised for a major promotion at her oil firm — until it’s handed to a less competent male colleague. Her professional frustration serves as the springboard for a story that blends workplace politics with romance, betrayal, and a peculiar subplot involving unrest in a rural drilling community.

The premise certainly has potential: a successful woman forced to navigate a rigged system while questioning whether to play the game or burn it all down. But the execution? Uneven at best. The film’s tone is inconsistent, and while the community conflict subplot is meant to add depth, it sticks out awkwardly, disrupting the sleek, corporate energy established in the rest of the film.

Love, Interrupted (By Confusion)

One of the most jarring aspects of the movie is Lara’s relationship with Osaretin, a character who is positioned as both a romantic lead and a source of emotional tension. The problem is that we have no idea when any of this happened. Did their entire relationship unfold during the last season of The Smart Money Woman? If so, how — and when — did Lara have the emotional bandwidth for it while going through such a major personal loss?

We’re left to guess, and that’s frustrating. Demi, too, shows up in an inexplicable new role as Lara’s assistant, with no clear explanation for her transformation from social media influencer to corporate right-hand. The absence of timeline clarity weakens what could have been a much stronger emotional and narrative payoff.

When the Acting Can’t Save the Scene

Toni Tones knows Lara, and she plays her well. That’s never in question. But here, she feels like she’s just running through the motions. There’s nothing wrong with her performance, but there’s nothing new either. Meanwhile, Natse Jemide, who plays Osaretin, simply doesn’t match her intensity, and together, their dynamic feels flat, unconvincing, and lacking chemistry.

Across the board, the acting feels serviceable, but not inspired. It’s hard to know whether to blame the script or the direction, but very few performances leave a lasting impression. For a spin-off driven by a fan-favourite character, that’s a big miss.

Shot on a Samsung — and You Won’t Forget It

There’s no denying that shooting Lara Unlimited on a Samsung S25 Ultra is a technical flex. Visually, the film is clean and composed. But this achievement is undercut by how obviously the product placement is inserted. The film doesn’t just use the phone; it shows you it’s using the phone, and not in a subtle way.

Beyond that, the colour grading feels too muted for the Smart Money Woman world. While the serious corporate tone is consistent with Lara’s storyline, it drains the film of the vibrant energy that made the original series so visually memorable.

Smart Lessons, Weak Execution

One thing Lara Unlimited doesn’t forget is the core mission of the Smart Money Woman universe: teaching women to be financially independent and career-savvy. There are still relevant lessons woven in, like knowing your worth in the workplace and supporting other women.

But these messages are sometimes undermined by clumsy writing. For instance, Lara’s devastation at losing her promotion is dismissed as emotional fragility, and worse, her male colleague is justified as being the “better choice” because he has a family to feed. It’s a tone-deaf moment in a film that’s supposed to champion women.

Verdict

In the end, Lara Unlimited feels like it was made because someone thought, “Well, people like Lara — let’s give her a movie.” But liking a character isn’t enough to justify a full-length spin-off. There’s value in the messaging, and the effort to empower women remains admirable, but the storytelling lacks clarity, cohesion, and heart.

It’s a decent corporate drama with moments of insight, but if you’re expecting the charm, wit, and emotional resonance of The Smart Money Woman, you’ll be disappointed. This feels more like a well-styled, overlong Samsung commercial than a story fans were truly waiting for. Lara Unlimited earns itself a rating of 1.75 stars. You can catch it streaming on YouTube.

Rating: 1.75/5