I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t expect much. I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t think I’d title this review “I Wanna Get Out Of Here!”. I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t approach this movie without bias, that, inspite of myself, I’d approach local films on an even perspective, where I would discuss their merits or lack thereof, instead of having negative expectations by default, so as to be surprised (oh alright, “happy” then), if it achieves any semblance of a coherent story, or some measure of believability, or, frankly, anything worthile whatsoever.
But then, what can I say? At the end of the movie, we were recalling scenes from it, laughing, smiling, and feeling good, which incidentally, is reason to smile even more, since that is exactly what the movie was supposed to do – make us feel good.
I Wanna Be Happy is a story of three generations of a typical Filipino family, trying to adjust to the earth-shaking news that their eldest members, played wonderfully by The Great Eddie Garcia and Gloria Romero, have decided to call it quits, months away from a 50 year anniversary. Throughout, the three siblings Jun, Rory and Tish, played by Joey Marquez, Cherry Pie Picache and Diana Zubiri, deal with personal issues of their own.
The ones with the most to deal with is Cherry Pie, who has a philandering husband in George (Christian Vasquez). As such, Cherry Pie delivers a terrific performance, second in impact only to Eddie Garcia, whose “Manoy” acting style is timeless and invariably hilarious.
I want to call Eddie Garcia “The Great” because really, that is what he is. He commands the screen and is easily, along with Gloria Romero, the most comfortable in it. There is no moment you aren’t at least giggling at the things he says, and he plays the strict Lolo and father to the hilt, intimidating Diana Zubiri’s boyfriend Ken (Alfred Vargas) in one scene, describing how he might grow wings from their maid’s inability to cook anything other than chicken in another, threatening to kill Cherry Pie’s husband when she runs away from home, etc. He is a delight to watch, and is easily my favorite.
Cherry Pie as the martyr, long-suffering wife, has the second most important story. She is so believable that I could not keep from comparing her from friends who are suffering the same all-too familiar fate. She displays range with the most ease and makes the most out of her role.
And then believe it or not, there is Joey Marquez. That’s right, Chong can actually act, or at least pull off a believable character in his Jun, the dentist, widower, father of two and eldest of the three siblings, whose conservative character’s world is completely taken aback at his parent’s split.
Unfortunately, his role does not extend anymore than that which is a pity, as I would have wanted his character’s story to develop considering his performance. I was expecting that he meet someone, or at least come to terms with the fact that his parents lives are their own, and as children he can only come to terms with it and no more. I felt his character Jun needs this the most to achieve some closure in this issue, as he is obviously the most bothered by it, and watching that happen would have been fun.
Concessions
And speaking of closure, this is the area which brings about my gripes. The ending in my opinion, is a concession towards the Pinoy audience’s love, nay, insistence on a happy ending. However seamless and believable the story started and evolved, the exact opposite holds true for how it ends. The ending in fact, was so quick, it hits you unexpectedly, almost as if the Director was embarrassed as to how he had to make it turn out that way (or at least that’s what I’d like to believe).
Another area where I thought a concession was made is the lifestyle of the characters, which gave no clue as to what professions they were in to be able to live comfortably with their large houses, condominiums and many servants. I read somewhere that Pinoys don’t like movies set in slums, apparently to avoid having to be reminded of the daily grind. I would have liked this movie played out in a lower middle class setting, which would have added a deeper sense of reality, or at least helped me quit trying to figure out what they do to live so well.
Conclude
But these are by no means reason to stay away. In fact, please, I urge you, go watch “I Wanna Be Happy”, should you feel inclined towards an easy going 1.5 hours of fun. And to any sponsors out there, rest assured your product placements, of which this movie had many, were not wasted, and I urge you to agree should a similar movie ask again.
This may not necessarily save the local movie industry. I don’t think any one movie can promise that. But it at least will, for a moment, make you happy.
Technorati Tags: jose javier reyes, i wanna be happy, eddie garcia, diana zubiri, cherry pie picache, joey marquez, gloria romero, christian vazquez
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