The 1st Summer Metro Manila Film Festival would not be complete without a lighthearted, fun, campy comedy film, and Chris Martinez’ Here Comes the Groom fills in that slot thanks to its ensemble cast.
The sequel to the 2010 commercial and critical hit Here Comes the Bride, The Groom uses again its predecessor’s body-swapping storyline to deliver a rambunctious film. The day before the wedding of Junior (Enchong Dee), he and his family got into a car accident with a group of entertainers led by Mama Wendy (Iyah Minah) during a solar eclipse. This resulted in the unexpected swapping of souls of Junior and trans woman entertainer Wilhelmina (Kaladkaren in her historic award-winning debut film performance), the conservative and religious Blesilda (Maris Racal), and the flamboyant aspiring entertainer Whitney (Awra Biguela), and the homophobic Rodrigo (Kempee De Leon) and the confident Wanda (Xilhouete of the Drag Race Philippines fame in his debut film).
There’s a consensus among critics and audiences that The Groom did not match the quality of The Bride. I do agree but it would be unfair to not give The Groom’s flowers just because it failed in that aspect. The film’s success relied on the cast’s performances, particularly Dee’s and KaladKaren’s. KaladKaren embodies Junior’s masculinity from her comical, clunky walk to the resort up to her love, care, and affection for Junior’s fiance Yumi (Miles Ocampo). Dee, meanwhile, never fell flat in acting as Wilhelmina. Playing as a trans woman can be tricky and it can be offensive given the history of trans women portrayal in the media but Dee’s performance was respectful of Wilhelmina’s sexual identity. The actor focused on embodying the mannerisms of Wilhelmina instead of making a caricature of the character, resulting in Dee effectively stealing the spotlight whenever the camera is on him.
With its familiar storyline, The Groom knows it should not take itself seriously to generate laugh-out-loud scenes. How did barangay captain Joy (Eugene Domingo in a new role unrelated to the predecessor film) immediately know the body-swapping situation? She simply answered that she is always right. How come Yumi doesn’t notice the sudden change in her soon-to-be husband’s behavior? Why is Junior’s best friend Sean (Tony Labrusca) still not weirded out by his friend’s flamboyance especially after he confessed his feelings for him? Why did Salve (Gladys Reyes) immediately form a bond with Blesilda when she became the opposite of the conservative, religious daughter she knew all along? These are some obvious questions that don’t need answers. The Groom employs the magic of mainstream Filipino comedy films that guarantee its desired laughter: the weird, ridiculous treatment of serious situations.
This, however, is not an excuse for the film’s lackluster attempt to carefully examine discrimination against the LGBT community in the Philippines. In this predominantly Catholic country where LGBT members still struggle to forward equal rights, The Groom had a sloppy and rushed execution of bringing its message of understanding and giving sympathy for one another, regardless of sexual identity. It’s hard to believe that Rodrigo finally softened his heart for the community after he swapped souls with Wanda. Whenever the film focuses on Rodrigo in Wanda’s body, all we see is his machismo and his disdain for the LGBT community. Same thing with Blesilda who rarely acknowledged Whitney. Sean was mostly utilized as the eye candy, relying on the looks of Labrusca, without giving him a complete identity aside from being Junior’s best friend and secret admirer.
While it can be argued that The Groom is not intended as a social commentary, it already touched on that subject and Martinez could not just simply sweep the responsibility under the rug of laughter and gags.
Here Comes the Groom screened at the 1st Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.
