MAMAS BOY
Philippines
This review may contain spoilers
ALL’S WELL UNTIL *THAT* SCENE HAPPENED
This is from THE IDEA FIRST COMPANY, makers of GAMEBOYS, so I watched this with high expectations.
Paolo Ballesteros, Anne Curtis, Dennis Trillo, The Idea First Company. Winning combination! There’s also Sinon Loresca! Bonus, Yayo Aguila, and that drag queen role of Michael de Mesa! What’s not to love??
STORY. Nothing new but the presentation is quite fresh, so… still a winner. In the first scenes of the movie, you’ll feel that Kylie (Anne Curtis) and Diego (Dennis Trillo) are the end game here. Paolo (as Benj) is also in the main cast, but his role is more on the comedy side, and no romance angle for him, really. This Kylie-Diego pairing is reinforced at 37-minute mark (theater scene) and later in the fitting scene where the background music that played is “May Minamahal” (It means “there’s someone being loved”). And then, at the 49-minute mark, the song was sang by Kyle and Diego, so…. we know!
This singing of “May Minamahal” marks the turning point in the movie. This is the seed of realization on Kylie and Diego about their feelings for each other – though they still haven’t realized that at this point. The misunderstandings and incompatibility of Diego and Fiona are also starting to show. So, it’s really quote predictable from this point on what will happen next.
What is not believable is Diego asking Kylie to pretend to be Fiona (since Fiona is always busy) for their church interview (a requirement if one is to get married here in the Philippines) and the couples seminar (another requirement) where the two were forced to kiss each other. Wasn’t Fiona bound to find out about that?
Plus point is the inclusion of male/female/gay stereotypes (how one looks at one’s fingernails, for example). They were incorporated in very funny ways.
*****
Everything was going well until that party scene at 1:24 mark where a drunken Kylie accused everyone there of being gay (“Bakla! Bakla kayong lahat!”; or You’ll all faggots!”). It was a very awkward scene, one done without finesse, so all the sympathy that Kylie got since the beginning of this movie, was thrown out the window. To me, this was unnecessary and overdone. Being drunk is no excuse for being ill-mannered. Big minus points. She ruined the party, she ruined her friendship with Benj, she ruined their business deal with Diego and Fiona, and she ruined her reputation.
When she did this at that opening of the movie, it was fine because we were just establishing her character then. But to repeat it at THIS party, it was way over the top already.
Good thing Benj and Diego forgave her. If it were me, I won’t ever talk to her again.
*****
This is NOT a BL series because there is no M2M relationship here of any kind. Benj likes Diego, but that’s it. So, if you’re expecting a BL movie, you’ll be disappointed.
This is a 9, but because of THAT scene, it became a 7. But let’s add a half point for acting from Dennis Trillo, Anne Curtis and also Michael de Mesa (not so with Paolo medyo whose acting here is stereotypical).
*****
MISCAST
I think Alma Concepcion is miscast as Dennis Trillo’s mother. She’s 40 y/o and Dennis was 35 y/o when they made this movie.
FAMILIAR FACE
That actress who played the lady assistant at the church counseling is also the actress who played that dastard aunt of Gavreel in GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE (2021).
7.5 / 10
Paolo Ballesteros, Anne Curtis, Dennis Trillo, The Idea First Company. Winning combination! There’s also Sinon Loresca! Bonus, Yayo Aguila, and that drag queen role of Michael de Mesa! What’s not to love??
STORY. Nothing new but the presentation is quite fresh, so… still a winner. In the first scenes of the movie, you’ll feel that Kylie (Anne Curtis) and Diego (Dennis Trillo) are the end game here. Paolo (as Benj) is also in the main cast, but his role is more on the comedy side, and no romance angle for him, really. This Kylie-Diego pairing is reinforced at 37-minute mark (theater scene) and later in the fitting scene where the background music that played is “May Minamahal” (It means “there’s someone being loved”). And then, at the 49-minute mark, the song was sang by Kyle and Diego, so…. we know!
This singing of “May Minamahal” marks the turning point in the movie. This is the seed of realization on Kylie and Diego about their feelings for each other – though they still haven’t realized that at this point. The misunderstandings and incompatibility of Diego and Fiona are also starting to show. So, it’s really quote predictable from this point on what will happen next.
What is not believable is Diego asking Kylie to pretend to be Fiona (since Fiona is always busy) for their church interview (a requirement if one is to get married here in the Philippines) and the couples seminar (another requirement) where the two were forced to kiss each other. Wasn’t Fiona bound to find out about that?
Plus point is the inclusion of male/female/gay stereotypes (how one looks at one’s fingernails, for example). They were incorporated in very funny ways.
*****
Everything was going well until that party scene at 1:24 mark where a drunken Kylie accused everyone there of being gay (“Bakla! Bakla kayong lahat!”; or You’ll all faggots!”). It was a very awkward scene, one done without finesse, so all the sympathy that Kylie got since the beginning of this movie, was thrown out the window. To me, this was unnecessary and overdone. Being drunk is no excuse for being ill-mannered. Big minus points. She ruined the party, she ruined her friendship with Benj, she ruined their business deal with Diego and Fiona, and she ruined her reputation.
When she did this at that opening of the movie, it was fine because we were just establishing her character then. But to repeat it at THIS party, it was way over the top already.
Good thing Benj and Diego forgave her. If it were me, I won’t ever talk to her again.
*****
This is NOT a BL series because there is no M2M relationship here of any kind. Benj likes Diego, but that’s it. So, if you’re expecting a BL movie, you’ll be disappointed.
This is a 9, but because of THAT scene, it became a 7. But let’s add a half point for acting from Dennis Trillo, Anne Curtis and also Michael de Mesa (not so with Paolo medyo whose acting here is stereotypical).
*****
MISCAST
I think Alma Concepcion is miscast as Dennis Trillo’s mother. She’s 40 y/o and Dennis was 35 y/o when they made this movie.
FAMILIAR FACE
That actress who played the lady assistant at the church counseling is also the actress who played that dastard aunt of Gavreel in GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE (2021).
7.5 / 10
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