January 9, 2024
TV director Alfred (Christian Bables) conceptualized a reality show where contestants can win one million pesos by winning a series of competitive events set in various tourist sites around the country. To qualify, the contestant has to be gay, with a good sad story of heartbreak that viewers can relate with. He gathered two other celebrity "judgers", Ate Gurl (Ms. Jaclyn Jose) and Tita Evs (Tart Carlos), to be on the interview panel with him to screen applicants.
Online seller Mark Gatchon (Petite) was left behind by his married partner Poli (Arnold Reyes). Chef Ali Macapagal (Marvin Yap) was left behind by his foreigner boyfriend Sean (Luke Selby). Ad exec Alex Valdez (Andoy Ranay) was left behind by his philandering boyfriend Bennie (Jay Gonzaga). Dressmaker Bernie Varga (Iyah Mina) was left behind by his addict boyfriend Jack (Argel Sayson). Unceremoniously outed teen idol Jason James (Teejay Marquez) was added as a surprise contestant.
The locations for this fictional reality show did not really follow a logical sequence, as it jumped from Kawasan Falls in Cebu, to the rapids of Magdalena, Laguna, then all the way to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte. After that, they made a sharp U-turn back down to Lobo, Batangas, before shooting the concluding segment on Mt. Banahaw at the Laguna / Quezon border. Lucky Alfred had generous "sponsors", namely LCL Travel & Tours and Air Filipinas.
If some of other MMFF entries were accused of copying the plots of foreign films, this one copied the mechanics of two popular foreign TV reality shows -- "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor." However the contests they formulated in each of the stops were shallow and rather haphazardly executed. Instead, they injected some sort of classic US TV show "This is Your Life," when they brought back people from contestant's past to generate drama. The way director Lemuel Lorca staged that final episode was so rushed, it was anti-climactic.
Again playing a flamboyant gay man, Christian Bables was mainly just being the director and emcee of the show most of the time. At the 11th hour, he was given a revelatory back story, which was his big dramatic moment. The actors playing the five contestants were all given the opportunity to shine in their own spot stories. The colorful poster may suggest an bright over-the-top comedy, but this mix actually had a lot more of bitter than the sweet. 5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment