Love between friends

MANILA, Philippines - Several months ago, I went out of my way to see KimmyDora because of its good reviews and friends who literally pushed me (with a shove, really!) into watching it. My 14-year-old daughter Mika and I had loads of fun and our laughter, that reverberated throughout the theater, gave me gas pain for quite a while. Watching Eugene Domingo in KimmyDora, I decided then and there: This girl is probably the best Filipino female comedian today. It became my turn to push others to watch the film.

I went to Mamarazzi expecting the same from Eugene and I was not disappointed. Although I was not too happy with the unnecessary dance sequence (a la Bollywood) and some young members in the cast who seemed ill-suited for their roles, I am still, and more than ever, a Eugene Domingo fan after watching it. She makes herself the butt of the punch lines; she demeans herself; she even physically hurts herself just to make us laugh. If only I could see her in person, I would give her a solo standing ovation and bow to her in all adulation for such an incredible, award-winning performance.

Mamarazzi is a story about love between friends, a gay and a female-gay (if there is such a word, babaeng bakla in the vernacular); a mother and her children; and between teenage and gay lovers. The film starts with Eugene (a funeral parlor owner and makeup artist for the recently deceased) losing hope on having her own babies, which she direly wants, after being told by doctors that she has to be operated on after which she will be rendered incapable of conceiving! Her gay best friend John Lapus comes to the rescue by offering her his own lover boy, the yummy Diether Ocampo, just for one night. The one-night stand ends abruptly with Diether making a complete disappearing act. Eugene gets pregnant, gives birth and brings up her good-looking triplets well, on her own, with her thriving funeraria business. Their seemingly quiet world turns upside down when the kids start questioning her about their real father and, lo and behold, Diether comes back, asks for forgiveness and professes his true love for Eugene. This development creates tension between Eugene and best friend John (who also has his own problems, having found out almost at the same time that he has a son — who also happens to be gay). The best friends fight. The children fall in love. The movie ends on a happy note.

Mamarazzi is such a fun movie that could have probably attracted more viewers if it maximized the talents of the really good actors in the cast: Eugene, Diether, Carla Abellana and John (who surprisingly held his own even in those scenes where he was pitted against the amazing Eugene). Personally, I would have wanted a longer scene from John when he marches down to get back at the school teacher who always embarrasses his son in front of the latter’s classmates only because he was gay. I would have also preferred a longer hospital scene with Eugene admitting to Diether that she also loved him yet unknowingly physically hurting him along the way. I found this scene to be truly hilarious, not to mention Eugene’s bed scene with John which tickled even my usually serious (or trying-to-look-serious) husband. I ended up craving for more from Eugene who could probably do a movie all by herself and still get away with it.

The movie rekindled in me my deep fondness and affection for gays (I am a female-gay, too, remember?) and I highly recommend this film not only for our exclusive community but also to parents and friends. Gay life is depicted here as it truly is: Riddled with frustrations, insecurities, discrimination and lack of understanding, yet fun, nonetheless. Like Eugene, gays (and female-gays!) always turn out to be major… major… (bonggang-bongga)… in everything that they do, in whatever field that they choose. To Eugene Domingo, I say, hail to the Comedy Queen!