Vice’s sassy salvos are ‘Benjamin’s’ best comedic suit

GANDA. Portrays gay scion of famous military family.

Through the years, we’ve noted that Wenn Deramas tends to make big, loud, blowzy and convoluted comedy movies—quite a number of which turn out to be major hits. His latest film, “Praybeyt Benjamin,” follows pretty much the same format, and is shaping up as possibly his biggest blockbuster.

Clearly, the “mainstream” filmmaker knows how to tickle local moviegoers’ funnybones, so it’s instructive to analyze and parse his spanking-new flick, which is reported to have made a stunning P100 million on its first week of showing.

On the positive side, “Praybeyt Benjamin” is less messy than Deramas’ “Tanging Ina” movies. It still has his signature period flashbacks and too many actors squeezing into one film frame, but it feels “cleaner” and more “put together.”

Vice Ganda plays the gay scion of a famous military family, so when his much bemedaled grandfather (Eddie Garcia) discovers his “pink” color and gender preference, he goes berserk.

Later, however, the entire country is held hostage by an army of terrorists, who have captured the Philippine Armed Forces’ top military leaders, including Garcia’s character, so gay Benjamin is compelled to join the army in place of his ailing dad (Jimmy Santos).

Expectedly, he’s lousy at the physical exercises and rigors he’s put through along with other recruits—to ostensibly comic effect. Some 10 of those recruits are played by supporting actors like Vandolf and Kean Cipriano and end up as the lead actor’s “sidekicks.”

The fact that there’re too many of them isn’t surprising, because Deramas obviously believes in “safety in numbers.” Unfortunately, the dictum doesn’t work as far as the movie’s training sequences are concerned, because quite a number of the jokes and sight gags in them are flatulent duds.

Screen hunk, Derek Ramsay, is cast as the platoon’s training officer, and Benjamin falls for him—bigtime. This enables the flick to go into several “fantasy” sequences that are sort of erotic—and quite funny.

But, the movie’s best comedic suit is the lead star’s “signature” penchant for coming up with funny put-downs and insults that knock the wind out of other people’s puffy hypocritical sails. This is the unique comedy touch that has made him popular, first on TV’s “Showtime,” and now in the movies.

Vice’s acerbic wit is rewarded with gales of laughter, but the movie still ends up rather messy, with the most improbable rescue of Garcia and other military hostages—effected by only eight recruits in drag!

Advocacy

Instructively, the film has a strong “gay advocacy” thrust that urges viewers to accept homosexuals and stop looking down on them and bullying them. The fact that the advocacy is a significant part of a major blockbuster patronized (and thus obviously accepted) by so many “straight” people indicates that it could help persuade at least some of them to be more “accepting” and less homophobic, so that’s all to the good.

As for Vice’s lead portrayal, it’s generally quite predictable, but he does have a “felt” and quietly emotional scene in the movie that suggests that there could be more to his ability as performer than just sassy putdowns, swishing and dishing.