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A triumphant instant comedy classic that blends crowd-pleasing meta-humor about Philippine Cinema with a razor-sharp script filled with wit and heart that has things to say about success, influencer culture, and the truths we tell ourselves.
After channeling Kafka in “Big Night!” Director Jun Lana continues to draw inspiration from the greats; this time, his manic screenplay, coupled with his signature style of direction, brings to mind Mel Brooks’ meta-humor classic “Blazing Saddles” in its unflinchingly funny portrayal of a controversial topic. Where “Saddles” used its celluloid in a side-splittingly uncomfortable yet still relevant conversation about race, B&B uses its cinematics to talk about gender and class in a way that doesn't alienate those that aren't versed, but rather welcomes them and locks them in with a seldom-seen level of intelligence devoted to Philippine Comedy.
The aforementioned meta-humor comes in spades and at a hundred miles per hour in this film, and it’s anything from Becky reciting line-for-line an old Vilma Santos film (complete with the original scene in picture-in-picture) to a hilarious 21st-century update of the classic “Banayad Whiskey” bit popularized by the late great King of Comedy Dolphy that brought the house down, to a shot-for-shot homage to a pivotal scene from Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” - Trust me, the cinephiles in us were swooning as we took in every single one of these tasty morsels.
And as if it couldn’t get any better, one of those meta-joke bits was capped with someone shouting, “This is Art! This is Cinema!” I mean, Jesus Christ. You already won us over, movie. Now, that was just showing off.
"Eugene Domingo and Pokwang are at the height of their comedic powers thanks to an electrifying script by director Jun Lana."
The film, with all of its strengths, wouldn't amount to much if its cast weren't up to the challenge of rising to the occasion, and B&B’s troupe of actors stepped up to the plate beautifully. Eugene Domingo and Pokwang are absolutely solid in their roles as the titular best friends, and it’s their delightful Nora-and-Vilma-fangirl-colored banter that just brings the house down every time they’re together onscreen.
However, the real revelation is Agot Isidro as Nirvana, an old schoolmate of the duo who may or may not have nefarious intentions for them. Her rock-solid commitment to just completely losing herself in the delicious insanity of the role adds to selling the surreal absurdity of the proceedings. Plus, her going toe-to-toe with comedy giants in Domingo and Pokwang is an utter delight.
From the moment we saw the teaser trailer of “Becky and Badette” (dubbed a “first look” clip), it immediately got our attention with its latent unearthly, dreamlike aesthetic; honestly, we guessed that the film would take us on a “Stepford Wives” kinda trip with how perfect everything was, juxtaposed against our imperfect heroines. What we got was even better - a laugh-out-loud, meta-tinged look at how we see ourselves, the people who have been with us through hell and back, and whether it’s their love and affirmation that matters most in the end.
Becky & Badette is one of the films showcased during the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival. Accolades include Best Original Theme Song for "Finggah Lickin" and Gender Sensitivity Award.
Cinegeeks rating : A+
Watch the trailer here:
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