Issues of Few Answers But Lots of Laughs
CLASSIFICATION MG Mature Guidance
RATING Three of 5 Stars
Distributed by RVQ Production (released in the Philippines on 25 December 2009; in the United States on 14 February 2010)
94 minutes
The Film
Nobody, Nobody But … Juan is a Filipino slapstick comedy film that took its title from a refrain line of the 2009-popular Wonder Girls-song “Nobody” and promotes a popular noon-time TV show “Wowowee.” It was partly shot in Chicago. Bibeth Orteza wrote the script. Eric Quizon directed.
The Preview
The Story
The film opens in a late-1944 standup comedy “Juan and Tu Show” in Manila where young comedians Juan (Jeffrey Quizon) and Tu (Vandolph Quizon) stand behind bars wondering how to get out of jail as a guard passes by. In the audience are Japanese officers sitting in the front row as other Filipinos laug their belly out at the back. Not long later the crows breaks up in panic as the Japanese officer annunces that the enemies has arrived. And everyone scampered for cover.
Back in the present, Juan de la Cruz (Dolphy Quizon) wakes up on his bed in a nursing home for the aged run by his son Waldo (Eric Quizon) and daughter-in-law Jane (G Toengi). He proceeds to the cafeteria to see his friend (Eugene Domingo) who suffers form narcolepsy, making him sleep anywhere even while standing up or sitting down and talking to Juan.
Meanwhile, Tu (Eddie Garcia) and friend Lolay (Pokwang) run a swindling operation that targets visiting tourists. They hit the restaurant Komeya Panceteria, and mange to sell Wowowee tickets, which later turn out to be fakes.
Back in the home, Waldo catches the elderly watching Wowowee, a popular Phippine noon-time show, on television, and orders the caregivers to turn off the TV as the show is banned in the home. Juan drops his face in disappointment on the policy, and ends up throwing hard reminders on Waldo for his sheepish behavior before his wife.
Juan recalls a show during the Japanese occupation, which ended up having the Japanese soldiers throwing cake icing at each other for fun. He also witnessed his falling out with girlfriend Aida (Heart Evangelista), and Lolay’s seductive taunts at him.
Meanwhile, Juan leads the residents and caretakes in devising a plan to watch the show by setting a booby trap on Waldo who tends the kitchen. As a result, Jane wants Juan out of the home. The residents protest loudly at the cafeteria against the Wowowee ban, shouting “Wowowee… No eating.”
One time while Waldo and Jane are entertaining prospective investors, Juan leads a topless parade of the residents inside the home, as the caregivers applauding all the way, and messing up with the prospects of the home getting an investor. In the confusion, the angry Jane falls off the stairway and breaks her legs. On the hospital bed, she tells Waldo she wants a divorce.
A road violation brings Waldo and Juan to the county precinct where Juan sees Lolay, guesting in Wowowee. She calls on Juan in America who may be watching her in the show. Juan also sees Tu in the sides, and realizes how much he misses his old friend.
Meanwhile the marriage between Waldo and Jane deteriorates. Waldo has Juan stay in a Filipino firend to keep him away from Jane. eventually, Juan leaves the home without a word for Waldo.
In the Philippines, Juan took a taxi to watch the Wowowee Show in person. Meanwhile Tu and Lolay pass by Juan in the entrance line, looking for someone to victimize. Lolay spots Juan. Tu recognizes Juan and recalls another standup act they had during the occupation. Unluckily the foreigner they victimized recognizes Tu, and calls on the security guard for help. Tu snatches Juan from the line, and make a run to escape. While hiding from the security guard, Juan recognizes Tu.
Tu manages to slip out. Juan, caught up, finds his way into the very stage of the very stage of the show. The residents and caregivers at the home in Chicago watches him with fun. That gives him time to greet Waldo and Jane on the air. From the bleachers, Lolay joins Juan and Willy onstage. Juan recalls Lolay in their stage performance during the occupation, and remembers Aida.
A hasty exit as the pursuit continues brought Juan, Tu, and Lolay to Aida, now living as the wife of Tu. Aida, suffering from fading mind, met Juan, and off-handly admitted to her only daughter Juana that her true father is Juan. Juan stays with Aida.
Meanwhile, in the nursing home back in Chicago, the life of the elderly improves with Wowowee no longer banned and as Waldo and Jane make up.
The film closes as Willy starts the noontime show with a talk as Juan sits beside Aida watching it, with her mind slowly fading and only the keeps her spirit alive.
During the post credit, Juan and Aida can be seen at the Wowowee bleachers laughing and dancing with the audience as Waldo and Jane and the residents in the Chicago home dance in the tune of the show’s favorite dancing song.
The Review
Nobody, Nobody But… Juan is a comedian-studded film, maybe the first time in Philippine movie history. Where a usual Filipino comedy film involves two to four comedians, this movie has a repertoire of around seven movie and television personalities who specialize in standup comedy in supporting roles to the trio of Dolphy, Eddie Garcia, and Pokwang. While Garcia is not a full-time comedy actor, his flexibility in handling myriads of roles in drama, action, and comedy makes him a natural comedian in the use of timing.
The timeline of the film however was very long for a less-than-two-hours movie making it difficult to give the characters much depth. It also left out certain details that can make the movie realistic. For example, the extras in this film apparently got left out without enough attention. The female traffic police cannot seem to connect with Juan at the road incident. The precinct officer has been left out without even a short dialogue to interact with Juan when the character should.
Another shortcoming of the film was its inability to do away with dirty skits, which tend to demean the females in the name of comedy. The clumsy flip of Lolay that led her to fall inguinal side on Juan’s face and ending upside down, skirt opened, with Tu holding her two legs spred open. The sexy househelp who intentionally bump his prominent boobs at the face of Juan.
The general plot however is good, and with the help of professional comedy actors the film provides a well-timed fun.
One distinct accomplishment of this movie was the efficiency of its use of plots that covers a lot of things–history (Japanese occupation, standup comedy in the Philippines, fate of retired stage performers), social issues (taxi metering scam, illegal stay in the United States, and multi-partner parenthood), and family issues (taking care of ageing parents, parenting children of different mothers, and out-of-wedlock children). Most of these commentaries though proposed no answer but largely used as a tool for comedy.
Fate of the entertainers. In a conversation inside a restaurant, Tu tells Lolay the sorry state of old entertainers like them who got forced to scam others because of their dire financial circumstance. Its lack of answer provides a silent comment of the tragedy.
Caring for the old. The disparity between the needs of the ageing residents and the nursing home’s policy, and how the same exists between Waldo and his father Juan, brings up again an family issue without proposing a solution. It did appear to say that old people may need to learn to take care of themselves while they still can when their youngs fail to do so. Another tragedy indeed.
Employment of illegal Filipino aliens. Two Filipinos, employed in the Chicago home, without legal papers where being sought by the police. While the incident provides an opportunity to make a comedic situation reminiscent of Police Academy, the scenes to be more a comment of the issue of unregistered Filipino in the United States than merely a comedy tool. The film opined that fellow Filipinos can be torn between the need to protect their countrymen there while doing their job as legitimate workers.
Taxi meter scam. The cheating taxi meter provides a comedic commentary on the problems involving manipulation of certain taxi operators in order to cheat their customers of their fare money. The bumping nudge to the meter makes a funny situation to watch. The ultimate joke however was when the table turned against the driver when he overdid it, causing the meter to read zero instead of a much higher figure. Again the film proposed no solution other than the funny one.
The Verdict
Nobody, Nobody But… Juan is a well-timed hilarious film about realities in Filipino lives today. Except for the unfortunate dirty scenes in the film that are unnecessarily inappropriate for less mature children, the film can be a moderately entertaining watch for the family. The painful sense that certain issues touched in the film can leave a pang to the viewers that can dampen the hilarity available to enjoy. Nonetheless, important lessons can be learned for simply watching this film.
Reviewed by Zosimo Literatus
Support this project. Go to Donate page.
