Kip Oebanda's "Bar Boys", the last Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino movie I've seen, is a fine example of a missed opportunity. It features three boys and their painfully obvious travails in law school. I know there are four boys in the marketing materials, but this spoiler is not the worst of it. It doesn't help that the movie seems to be manufactured out of a pile of checklist exercises. Boisterous barkada. Check! Daddy issues. Check! Gay professor. Check! Funny bisaya. Check! Terminal illness. Check! Important speech. Check check check! There are a lot of stories out there that handle multiple narrative threads, but in this film the various strands are obvious, and they are weighing down the whole point of the film—which should be about perseverance and friendship. And the acting is strangely wooden. The saving grace here are the supporting actors like Odette Khan and Mailes Kanapi. I hope these two would get to be leads in movies someday. Lastly, this film is riddled with stereotypes. It's a chore enduring every second of it. And just like the many archaic laws of our country that are never amended, "Bar Boys" feels outdated.
[ photo borrowed from this site ]
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