Quack & holy

Whatever else may be said of comedian Vic Sotto and the human demographic whose funny bone he has tapped into, there’s no questioning that the guy’s a natural, and Pak! Pak! My Dr. Kwak!, his latest movie with his Eat, Bulaga! cohorts plus a few mainstays from a rival station, is a fitting and entertaining cap to a Lenten season given to reflection.

There’s not much that Vic can do wrong, at least as far as the humble hoi polloi moviegoing public is concerned, and his down-to-earth humor  even if occasionally dwelling on cliché and slapstick  strikes home with nary an effort on the part of the protagonists, the antics part tribute to past comedic geniuses.

In Pak! Pak!, Vic plays a bogus faith healer, or fake healer, hence the second part of the movie title, who along with his aides played by the Bulaga! tandem Jose and Wally, fleece the gullible faithful seeking an affordable cure to festering ailments. There’s also Pokwang from Kapamilya as worthy comic foil, playing the cousin of his (Vic’s) deceased wife.

The movie gathers narrative momentum when an angel is sent from heaven to right the fake healer’s misguided ways, through episodes both wacky and moral, yet never preachy. Played by child star Zaijian Jaranilla, the character Angelito draws much empathy and along with his counterpart Xyriel Manabat, the younger sister of Vic’s romantic interest Bea Alonzo, ensures this outing is both wholesome and child-friendly.

Bea herself is a sight for sore eyes, blossoming into a funny girl in her own style, the doctora who drools. Doctor Laway has never been so pretty.

Things sooner or later come to a head when Vic has to return to the straight and narrow through the little angel Angelito’s help, to the consternation of Jose, Wally, Pokwang and Bea for her part is no slouch for her own little epiphanies resulting in a compromise between science and faith.

Cameos galore put additional rollicking touch to the project directed by Tony Y. Reyes, such as those by Peque Gallaga as San Pedro and Joey de Leon as a hip talking physician and hospital administrator, with another memorable line worthy of Iskul Bukol: “Binebewang mo ang oras ko!” (You are wasting my time).

Fortunately for movie fans, it’s certain that they won’t feel Pak! Pak! is a waste of their time. It’s like Eat, Bulaga! with a religious conscience, yet already crisp raucous laughter can be heard from the theaters even before Eastertime, kids of all shapes and sizes can dance the hula hoop to this one.

Pak! Pak! My Dr. Kwak! was graded B by the Cinema Evaluation Board.