Direk Wenn: Hindi araw-araw Pasko

Even if his first name is spelled with an “e” and two “n’s,” it could mean the same thing – Win, as in Winner.

Because in the past few years, director Wenn Deramas has been cranking out blockbusters even as he causes bellyaches among moviegoers with his unique brand of comedy, combining wit and humor plus, which is very evident in his latest potential hit, Star Cinema’s This Guy’s In Love With You, Mare, starring his mga suki Luis Manzano, Toni Gonzaga and Vice Ganda.

Will the movie surpass the P342M-plus take of Praybeyt Benjamin (said to be the highest-grossing local movie of all time) and, as Vice Ganda jokingly boasted during the presscon, rake in P400M-plus?

Keeping his fingers crossed, Wenn said he hoped so even as he added, “Kaya lang, hindi naman araw-araw Pasko, eh.” Well, you can never tell, after all Christmas is just around the corner. “You know how Vice Ganda is, he’s always positive. With me, if the moviegoers are entertained, happy na ako. But,” he qualified, “if this movie would make more than Benjamin, susmaryosep sino ba naman akong tatanggi?”

Wenn has worked with all three stars several times, so the shoot feels more like play than, well, work.

“Sobrang magkakaibigan na,” added Wenn, “so on the set, tawanan kami nang tawanan, asaran nang asaran,” an easy-breezy camaraderie that shines through in their films. “They’re saying that this movie is better than Praybeyt Benjamin but you know me, I’m the last to appreciate my movies. Let’s see after two years if it’s true.”

The pressure comes from people (producers and the public alike) who expect Wenn to come up with a better (and higher-grossing) rib-tickler every time. He has learned to take it all in stride.

“Since Tanging Ina (the Ai-Ai delas Alas starrer) grossed more than P200M, I refuse to be affected by that pressure,” continued Wenn. “As I said, hindi araw-araw Pasko. Time will come when, you know…It happened to superstars like FPJ, Vilma, Sharon and Maricel, and it can happen to me. Hindi all the time P300M ang kikitain ng pelikula mo.”

His last movie, Moron 5, made more than P90M but since it was low-budgeted and didn’t feature a really big star, it was considered a hit, with the capital recouped and with profits to boot. The producer (Viva Films) was more than happy.

“Basta ako,” said Wenn, “if the producer gets back his capital at kumita, I’m happy na. But,” he added whimsically, “we expect to get bonuses from This Guy’s In Love.”

How did Wenn hit on the “formula” that has become his trademark?

“It started with Tanging Ina,” recalled Wenn. “One Sunday afternoon, Ma’am Charo (Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN big boss) told me that she wasn’t happy with the first draft even if the script ay sobrang patawa nang patawa, ‘yung the likes of Tatay Kong Pakitung-Kitong. Ma’am Charo told me, ‘If you can make the audience laugh and cry at the same time, you will create a trend in comedy.’ So I said, ‘Ma’am, dapat pala hango sa buhay namin.’ You know naman ang buhay naming mga bading, soap opera.” He hit it. Bull’s-eye!

On its opening day, Tanging Ina grossed P11M.

“Ma’am Charo called me from the States. Sabi niya, ‘How do you feel na nagpatumba ka ng dalawang hari?,’ referring to FPJ and Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes whose movie opened at the same time. Bumabagyo noon, ha! I told Ma’am Charo jokingly, ‘Show me the money and I will believe you.’ That should be the attitude. If your movie makes money, thank you po. If it doesn’t, well, that’s life…move on.”

On the big screen, Wenn is all riotous laughter but on the small screen he goes drama all the way, his current ABS-CBN teleserye being Kahit Puso’y Masugatan.

“M-W-F I shoot for the teleserye and T-TH-S, I do movies,” said Wenn. “Para akong maid, Sunday ang day-off.”

He’s not about to, well, rock the boat (if it ain’t broke, why fix it?). As long as the formula is working (tears in TV and laughter in movies), Wenn will stick to it.

“My producers remind me that I’m like soap. May sabong panlaba at may sabong pampaganda. They said that as a director, I must have a ‘brand,’ something that will be identified with you.”

In This Guy’s In Love With You, Mare (opening nationwide tomorrow, Oct. 10), Vice Ganda is broken-hearted after Luis breaks up with him to go steady with Toni. Wenn admitted that there’s something of him in each of the three characters.

He elaborated, “’Yung sa character ni Vice, ‘yung pagiging vengadora. My best friend in college told me, ‘You know, you are the type of person who doesn’t let the sun set without you getting back at somebody at all costs.’ ‘Yung character ni Luis is like me, hindi ako manloloko. I don’t step on other people’s toes just to get ahead. ‘Yung kay Toni, her being a perfectionist. I can identify more with Vice Ganda’s character — you know, you give your all, you love truly at niloko ka, kaya humanda ka!”

By the way, has Wenn ever fallen in love with a mare?

He screamed, “Ay Diyos ko! Hindi ma-take ng hormones ko. Unang uha ko pa lang, alam ko nang bakla ako!”

Hahahahaha!!!!

Dinner with Danny D

Friends gathered recently for dinner to mark a special day in the life of STAR columnist/banker/art-patron Danny Dolor (seated, third from left), including (also seated, from left) Regal Matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde, Senatoriable Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Susan Roces, Marichu ‘Manay Ichu’ Maceda and Armida ‘Tita Midz’ Siguion-Reyna; and (back row, also from left) Mario Hernando, Malou Choa-Fagar, Shirley Kuan, Ricky Lo, JB Plata, Dolor Guevarra, Lillibeth Vera Perez-Nakpil, Ronald Constantino, Ethel Ramos, Pat-P Daza, Bibeth Orteza and June Torrejon-Rufino.