Chris Martinez on writing and directing comedy in the woke era

MANILA, Philippines — Chris Martinez recently returned to directing comedy films with Here Comes The Groom, the sequel to his box-office hit Here Comes The Bride 13 years ago.

The soul-swapping comedy about a religious family who switched souls (and bodies!) with a family of drag performers is one of the few Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entries that continues to be screened in select cinemas. As of writing, it’s being shown in Glorietta 4 Cinema 4, Market! Market! Cinema 2 and Trinoma Cinema 4.

Here Comes The Bride was Chris’ first comedic venture and second film after his directorial debut 100 about a terminally ill woman with three months to live. “If you’ve seen that film, tumodo na ako sa drama dun. Wala ng mas nakakaiyak sa kamatayan. After that, I said, I want to do something really ridiculous and fun… totally different from my first film,” the television and film director said during an interview with The STAR.

“I never had expectations over that film. I just wanted to do a comedy and show that I could do comedy after 100.”

Produced by Quantum Films, CineKo Productions and Brightlight Productions, the soulswapping comedy has earned the Summer MMFF Jury Prize for ‘outstanding ensemble acting, gender sensitivity and bringing intelligence to comedy.’ — Photos from Chris Martinez’s Instagram

Despite the success of Here Comes The Bride and persistent requests for a follow-up, it took direk Chris over a decade to come up with Here Comes The Groom.

Besides being busy with other projects, he explained, “I didn’t have anything new to say. The first one was wish fulfillment. Matanda naging bata, mahirap naging mayaman, bakla naging babae, ganun siya, universal ang mga concerns nila dun. Kung gagawa ako ng sequel, what will it be about?”

“Three years ago, I said okay, it can be about what really is a soul because ‘di ba soul-swapping? … If you believe you have a soul, yung identity mo ba ay defined by your body or your soul? So, nandun ako sa premise na yun,” direk Chris recalled.

“So, I think that’s something I can contribute to the whole conversation about gender. At the same time, it can be a springboard to say something new and relevant using the framework of the first film.”

Not just something new as the filmmaker also had a lot more to say in the sequel.

“It’s really more pointed in terms of the conversation on gender identity so it has, not naman advocacy, but a statement. It’s trying to say that more than tolerating each other or accepting each other, we have to co-exist… peacefully and happily,” he said of his film, which earned the MMFF Jury Prize for “outstanding ensemble acting, gender sensitivity and bringing intelligence to comedy.”

During the conversation, The STAR also sought the director’s thoughts on the state of comedy in these woke times. Not a few comedy actors and writers we’ve spoken to have expressed that doing comedy nowadays is tricky.

It hasn’t also escaped direk Chris what Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston said recently (and which trended online) about how comedy has evolved that now, “you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life.”

Chris said, “Everytime they ask me about it, that comedy daw is boring now because it has become careful, ako naman kasi, yung comedy ko, even if we’re laughing at each other or making fun of things, there always has to be a point to it.

“Si Jennifer Aniston, I think siguro na ano na rin siya kasi parang masyadong serious ‘di ba, this ‘woke generation.’ So, lighten up people, there’s always a point to this.

“Kung walang patutunguhan ang mga jokes at kung wala siyang parang leading into what the author, comedian or director is trying to say na positive, eh ‘di i-cancel niyo. Pero kung ito naman ay comedy na may patutunguhan, may sinasabing maganda, bakit niyo naman i-lo-look down ‘yon?”

For Chris, he believes that any topic can be discussed or presented as either comedy, drama or tragedy.

“Comedy director kasi ako so comedy ang attack ko. But if I were a dramatic director, I could have tackled this (subject) in a more dramatic way and they would have taken it more seriously, ganun ba yun? I mean my comedy is valid. Iba lang yung timpla — whether comedy or drama siya — pero isa lang naman sinasabi most of the time,” he said.

“As a writer, I also don’t want to be limited by all these things, ‘Huy, you have to be careful, iba na ang panahon ngayon.’ Because when I write, there’s always something — there’s always a point to it that contributes to humanity.

“Hindi lang naman pinagtawanan natin mga tao sa paligid natin. Meron tayong gustong sabihin all the time, most of the time, right? So, hindi ako masyadong natakot. Kasi alam kong meron gustong sabihin ang pelikula na mas maganda, mas mahigit pa dun sa pinagtawanan niyo kanina or yung pinagtatawanan niyo ngayon.”

Chris realized he was capable of churning out comedic material during his college days at UP. The Palanca-winning director-screenwriter started out as a playright.

“I used to write plays and no matter how I tried to make it dramatic, it always ended up as comic,” he laughed.

“Parang dun talaga ako papunta. I had plays that even if they were dark… comedy pa rin siya. Nalagay tayo sa ganung klaseng hulma so pinanindigan ko nalang hanggang sa my first film.”

He was “discovered” for showbiz by director Jeffrey Jeturian and screenwriter Bing Lao when they watched his play Last Order sa Penguin, a story about college friends meeting up at a Malate bar named Penguin Café.

“Napanood ni Jeffrey and Bing Lao, and they said nakakatawa ang play na ‘to. Baka pwede siyang pasulatin ng next film mo, Jeffrey, sabi ni Bing. So, they got me to do a sex comedy, which was Bridal Shower,” he shared, referring to the movie that starred Dina Bonnevie, Cherry Pie Picache and Alfred Vargas.

“They were the ones who discovered that I could write a comedy film. Since yun yung first pasok, yun na lagi ang offer because Bridal Shower was successful.”

Nevertheless, direk Chris gets very excited whenever he is tapped for non-comedy projects.

He said, “I was given by Chito Roño the opportunity to do horror, Sukob. He also gave me the chance to do drama, Caregiver. So, nakakatuwa!

“But then, you always go back to comedy. You dabble in different genres but ito kasi yung industriya na sinasabi may identity ka, which is OK naman since may sarili kang pwesto. So, Chris Martinez, comedy. It’s OK but I also want to do other things.”