New York Times on Do Bidoo: Exuberant if creaky musical

Like my friends and me (but unlike some people), Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre found I Do Bidoo Bidoo so hilariously entertaining that, he said in his report, “my head throbbed and my heart palpitated from laughing so hard, especially over the love scenes between Ogie Alcasid and Eugene Domingo, that I almost collapsed!”

New York Times critic Jon Caramanica described the movie, directed by Chris Martinez, “an exuberant if creaky Filipino musical” (more on the review in a while).

Edmund was among the first to attend the New York City screening of the movie which opened Nov. 30 at The Producers’ Club on West 44th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan, and will run until today, Dec. 6.

Reported Edmund, “We were too thrilled to catch this film based on positive reviews and word of mouth from Manila, not to mention the chance to relish once again the timeless hits of the greatest trio in Philippine music, the APO Hiking Society, whose music we love to play to this day, over and over, during long trips or driving. I have a complete collection of APO CDs and tapes. And boy, we were not disappointed!” 

I agree with Edmund that I Do Bidoo Bidoo is a charmer. APO’s songs are wittingly interwoven into the storyline and fairly interpreted by the actors, including the irresistible Eugene Domingo, who is not really known for singing. All production/dance numbers, particularly Blue Jeans featuring Sam Concepcion and Neil Coleta, as well as Syotang Pa-Class with Sam and Eugene, are well-choreographed and executed. Neil singing Kaibigan in one scene is so touching.

The renditions of Batang Bata Ka Pa, Panalangin, Nakapagtataka and Awit ng Barkada, showcasing the delightful and talented Frenchie Dy and Sweet Plantado, are quite impressive. 

Continued Edmund, “Ironically, it was Eugene who stands out through and through, and keeps the audience in stitches. Her extraordinaire comic timing didn’t escape even The New York Times critic who hailed her and Gary Valenciano’s talent and presence.

“Eugene’s intimate scenes with Ogie (to the tune of Di Na Natuto and Kabilugan ng Buwan) that ended in semi-nudity is no doubt the film’s comic climax that made everyone burst out into laughter. That scene alone is well worth the trip to the theater.

“Sadly, musical films, it seems, are not for Filipino audience. Not yet, anyway. This is the reason why I Do Bidoo Bidoo was not a box-office hit despite getting Grade A from the Cinema Evaluation Board and a full-steam promotion from Studio5 and Unitel and its stars.”

Yes, Edmund, you’re right: Pinoys still go for straight dramas or comedies and are not yet prepared to see Vilma Santos or Kim Chiu or John Lloyd Cruz burst into song after delivering a moving dialogue.

But, according to Edmund, Lambert Parong and Jamilla Lineses who helped promote the Chris Martinez-helmed flick in the Big Apple, said I Do Bidoo Bidoo can give the local filmdom a good start with Pinoy musical films. After all, Filipinos are among the most musically inclined people in the world.
Meanwhile, here’s The New York Times review of I Do Bidoo Bidoo that appeared on its Nov. 29, 2012 edition. Written by Jon Caramanica, the review was titled A Wedding Accompanied by Filipino Pop Hit:

Rock and Tracy are young, in love, not yet married, expecting a child and causing endless stress for their parents in I Do Bidoo Bidoo, an exuberant if creaky Filipino musical that never lets story get in the way of its songs.

The music, by the Apo Hiking Society, a long-running and inoffensive Filipino pop band, is self-consciously gentle and sometimes inert: Syotang Pa-Class suggests Uptown Girl; Blue Jeans recalls Footloose. (The film’s producer said that Mamma Mia! was an inspiration.)

Rock (Sam Concepcion) and Tracy (Tippy Dos Santos) stand out on the duet Panalangin, but mostly they’re dull and pretty. It’s their parents who shine, especially Rock’s sassy mother, Rosie (the hilarious Eugene Domingo), and Tracy’s stern father, Nick (the squarely handsome and convincingly mean Gary Valenciano).

Given that music drives the story here, it’s notable that color feels more prominent than sound. I Do, written and directed by Chris Martinez, is filmed in a hyper-real style in which the prints on the clothes of Rosie and her friends scream louder than they do. Everyone sings, but color is life.

The kerfuffle between Rock and Tracy’s families is inevitable. Tracy’s wealthy parents dress conservatively and switch between Tagalog and English, especially during fights; Rock’s parents — his father is a washed-up one-hit wonder, and his mother cooks — have, in addition to Rock, children named Jazzy and RapRap, and also have the film’s most randy scene.

There is a musical standoff over a meal, punches and, eventually, reconciliation. The unaccounted-for leaps in narrative along the way would be irritating if the ending weren’t so obvious from the start.

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