The three aces of Boy Pick-Up The Movie
Ladies first.
Solenn Heusaff as Angel, the love interest of Boy Pick-Up who is played by Ogie Alcasid is a revelation. One of the country's most glamorous cover girls and models, she didn't mind looking "ugly" and wacky when needed in her comedy scenes. She gladly exaggerated her actions in the scene where she first tasted Boy Pick-up's "fish cake." She didn't just take a bite but slobbered the "fish cake" all over her mouth and face.
Solenn made her scenes work, no matter how "corny" they could be, thus eliciting laughter from moviegoers during the film's premiere night last June 3 at SM Megamall's Cinema 9. A pretty and glamorous woman doing the "unthinkable " in a comedy is usually a sure formula for laughter and Solenn is perfect for the role.
You have to give credit to the "buwis-buhay" effort Ogie invested in his role. It's usually an ordeal to translate a TV show into a movie, what more if it's just a segment of "Bubble Gang" like Boy Pick-Up is. Good thing Ogie is "mucho talentado." It helped too that the film showed Boy's life story and his bid to make a living for himself and his goldfish. It will surely interest Boy's TV fans who always see him on stage with his pick-up lines.
The movie's success in comedy also rests in Ogie's hands. The film does have its lull and corny moments. But before they contaminate the rest of the film, Ogie's scenes and punch lines come to the rescue. Boy Pick-Up's poker face and nonchalant persona, mixed with the proper ambiance, can make a scene funny without dialogue. Case in point is when Boy opened his home for the first time to TV fans and moviegoers. It took everyone by surprise that it looked like a "furnished modern home."
Brilliant villain
It's easy to put a villain in the said movie, but if you want that character to be meatier and create impact, you need a seasoned dramatic actor like Dennis Trillo.
He plays a nerdy-boy-next-door dumped at the altar by his wife-to-be played by Sam Pinto. She explained that after she heard Boy's pick-up lines, she realized that marrying him (Dennis' character) is a mistake. The angry Dennis then thirsts for revenge.
He jumps off a bridge but is "fished out of the water" by a stranger. He then transforms to Bagwis.
Becoming a hardcore-rock-star-like villain and still injecting humor is not an easy. And Dennis got away with being funny without reducing Bagwis' angst and bite.
Dennis is just right as Boy Pick-Up's worthy opponent. At the same time, he again showed his versatility and range as an actor.
"Boy Pick-up: The Movie" is funny, period. It's just a modified and updated version of the Boy Pick-Up segment of "Bubble Gang", so moviegoers shouldn't expect anything more than laughter all the way. Intellectualizing will only sour the comedy.
"Boy Pick-Up: The Movie" opens on June 6 in theaters nationwide.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
