It will make you laugh not once, but twice

Exactly 10 years ago – when I was still with ABS-CBN – Showbiz Lingo went on an excursion in a Batangas resort and at the pool, we did a lot of horseplay.

As part of the fun, I carried the girls on my back and swam them across the width of the pool and back. At one point, our head writer, Wenn Deramas, thought he wanted to try it and got on my back. I was hesitant at first because Wenn had always been on the heavy side, but I did anyway. However, instead of swimming in the shallow part, I went to the pool’s deep end (about 10 feet deep). This caused Wenn to panic and he clung on to my neck so tight that I started choking. For several seconds there, I couldn’t breathe. I really thought that was going to be my end because my whole life was already starting to flash before me. We could have both drowned there without anybody noticing because everyone was at the other end of the pool.

I was only left with two choices that time: Punch him to get him off me or struggle a few meters more until we reached the gutter. I opted for the latter and got to the end of the pool alive. To this day, Wenn probably never realized how he came this close to killing me. I didn’t want to make a big issue out of it that time because I didn’t want to spoil the outing. Besides, it was also my fault for playing that trick on him that backfired on me.

And then, I also admit that I can forgive Wenn for anything because as head writer, I depended so much on him and he was always so efficient.

In 1998, I left the show to migrate to the US and when I returned, he was already directing soap operas on television. That didn’t surprise me anymore because Wenn had always been very talented. In fact, when we were doing Showbiz Lingo, he was already directing Teysie ng Tahanan’s Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang segment, a dramatization of the lives of letter senders who wanted to share their experiences with late-morning viewers.

A couple of years ago, he directed Tanging Ina, which became a big, big hit. I was away when that movie was shown, but I caught it on VCD and I thought it was so funny. He put so much effort into it and it paid off because Tanging Ina is one of the best comedy films I’ve ever seen locally. Too bad, I didn’t get so see D’Lucky Ones, but I’ll try to get a DVD copy of it soon.

The other day, we previewed Kapag Tumibok ang Puso (Not Once, But Twice), Wenn Deramas’ latest film and it was graded B (it gets a 65 percent tax rebate) by the Cinema Evaluation Board.

Kapag Tumibok casts Bong Revilla as a returning overseas worker whose wife (Precious Lara Quigaman) dies in a freak accident. Upon her death, however, her heart is donated to another patient and the recipient is Ai-Ai de las Alas, a heartless usurer.

If only because his wife’s heart is inside Ai-Ai, Bong falls in love with the ruthless businesswoman – never mind if she can be mean and nasty at all times, not to mention the fact that she’s not exactly Miss International material.

Kapag Tumibok actually sets off to a slow start, but in time, things move fast and should send most moviegoers rolling down the aisle. This is made possible by Wenn Deramas’ direction and an assembly of stars blessed with a lot of talent.

Now, I have to say this (coming from a rival station), but most of the stars who excel in this film are from ABS-CBN: today’s queen of comedy, Ai-Ai de las Alas; Eugene Domingo (a brilliant actress I’ve admired ever since); the child star Kiray Celis; Ketchup Eusebio and Deejay Durano (playing Bong Revilla’s best friend in the film). The biggest surprise, however, is Janelle Jamer, who – I was told – was with Wowowee before. Janelle plays Bong’s stalker in the film and she is very effective delivering comic lines. It’s difficult role, but she breezes through it like a seasoned comedienne.

Non-ABS-CBN talents, of course, also excel in the movie. There’s Bong Revilla, who gives his all as he takes a break from the Senate Hall to let it all out in this comedy film. His daughter Inah Revilla, however, delivers an even better acting job. The girl has a strong screen presence and has a good comedic timing. Even her kid brother in the film Aaron Junatas does quite well.

As for Precious Lara Quigaman, she only has to work on her speaking voice and she should be on her way to great screen stardom. Undeniably, she’s very pretty and is not at all afraid to make fun of herself. This is a good enough screen launching for our reigning Miss International.

The stars of the film, of course, benefit from Deramas’ inspired direction and the way he stages his scenes. The movie is also peppered with a lot of little details that make Kapag Tumibok hilarious. One is the mother-daughter look-alike outlandish outfit worn all the time by Ai-Ai and Kiray. This idea works very well and is a hit among viewers. Then, there’s the fact that instead of a matinee idol being paired off with Inah Revilla, she has young comedian Ketchup Eusebio as her screen partner. I thought this was a bright and refreshing idea and I applaud whoever thought of that.

Kapag Tumibok ang Puso is a very entertaining film that will make you laugh not once, not twice, but many times over. I’m glad that its director did not succeed in killing me 10 years ago and allowed me to live long enough for me to enjoy his latest comedy film.