It’s been a while since I did a movie review on a Filipino film, and it really is because a good Filipino film is few and far between. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I always give Filipino movies a chance to surprise me. In the advent of Netflix, a lot of local movies have been accessible to me lately, and this one in particular grabbed my attention.
Normally, Philippine comedy is all about slapstick, with no solid plot. I really detest Tito-Vic-Joey type movies where you feel that they made a one-page script and told the actors to do whatever comes natural. For me, it feels demeaning and insulting for Filipinos to have to sit through movies like that, but as they use popular actors, these kinds of films normally make it to the box office.
But I was surprised with “Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap” because it does show that we can make smart comedy, and that we should give lesser-known actors a chance to prove our assumptions wrong.
Let’s go to the story. This is a heist-type of movie, wherein Eman is the son of the most “respected” robber in Baranggay Husay. He wants to prove to his famous father that he has what it takes to be successful in the same profession, but he is teamed up with two of his friends, Toto and Carlo, who are not the smartest bananas in the bunch. A newcomer is added to his team, Nicoy, who is actually an undercover cop. They start out with small-time scams, like attempting to hypnotize their victims, or dressing up as ghosts, but end up being the laughing stock of the community. Finally, they stumble on news of an artifact worth millions. They try to get in on the action, but realize that it gets more complicated in every turn. A shootout occurs wherein Eman’s father is shot, but before his last breath, he gets to tell Eman how proud he is of his son. In the end, the team gets to steal from the guy who killed Eman’s father.
As I said earlier, Filipino heist-type movies are a rarity, and the fact that it was also a comedy is something that delighted me. Eman’s father played by Pen Medina (a solid actor) is endearing because he genuinely loved his son, even though Eman was not as skilled as the father. The rest are okay actors, but the casting director made a good choice in picking them because they really did suit their roles.
This is a R-16 movie by the way, so it’s not for kids. While this was shown in 2018, I’m glad that Netflix picked it up, allowing more people to experience this movie.
Sari-Sari Stories 