While the whole country bestowed box-office glory to him in Praybeyt Benjamin last year, breaking all-time box-office records, I couldn't care less, knowing that an American version of that movie, I thought, was funnier since it had Goldie Hawn, whom I really adored.
Fast forward to tonight, when I decided to pop in 'This Guy's In Love With You Mare' into my DVD player. First scene pa lang, I was in stitches na! I mean, any beki can totally relate to that really funny 10-minute opening scene. And I was hooked!!! I was not even planning to watch through the whole movie since it was already 2AM, but I was just enjoying myself for the full hour of the movie.
I was very impressed at how Vice Ganda has used his celebrity to push the envelope of depicting gay love to a mainstream audience. This has never been done before -as most of the really good comedians who do gay acting are actually straight. Dolphy and Joey de Leon are superb comedians who had done really funny gay sketches in their past movies - but these guys are as straight as you get.
However, Vice is as flaming a gay man as can be - and that he allows himself in his movies to be as 'womanly' as any man can be and be depicted as head over heels in love with a straight man - whew - I knew he was really pushing it - but judging from the box-office take of this movie - the audience had spoken - and they don't find anything wrong with it!
They might have even told their friends about it - since with those box-office numbers - word of mouth certainly brought more people into the moviehouses! I really feel bad for not supporting the movie when it really needed my support - especially that it was a movie with the central character being unabashedly gay!
So bravo Vice Ganda for your bravery along with the director Wenn Deramas - for telling stories - with strong gay lead characters who are not afraid to express their love explicitly - especially that Catholic country we are - our church can be our own worst enemy!
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