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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Woke Up Like This is quite rough around the edges, but still kinda funny

Sabrina and Nando (Lovi Poe and Vhong Navarro, respectively) aren't what you would call model citizens: the former is vain and inconsiderate, the latter is self-centered. Thanks to a mysterious old man (Lou Veloso) and a magical chicken, the two of them switch bodies.

I'll be the first to admit Woke Up Like This isn't particularly deep or anything like that. It's very much a mainstream comedy. But the flavor of this particular comedy comes from Joel Ferrer, who directed Baka Siguro Yata, which was (and still is) my favorite local comedy of 2015. While in this film the comedic timing isn't exactly there and a number of jokes don't land, I think the film's generally enjoyable.

Like how Baka Siguro Yata shared similar elements with the film Knocked Up, this film shares some similarities with movies like The Hot Chick and Freaky Friday. The bodyswap plot device is used as a means for the two characters to discover themselves and be better people. (Thankfully, no comets are involved.) The film in that regard is pretty simplistic, though this simplicity isn't detrimental to the  overall experience.

The major surprise for me in this film has to be Lovi Poe. She has a lot of funny scenes that work compared to her co-star, and she definitely looks like she's having fun acting as Vhong's character in her body. There are even a few meta jokes in the film where she channels her dad FPJ.

If you're familiar with Joel Ferrer's brand of comedy, the funny scenes in his films can range from something silly to something completely absurd. For example, a character near the end of the film has a right hand  that seems to be possessed by a malicious sock puppet. In this case, the jokes can either be really hilarious or they can fall flat. Maybe it's the script, maybe it's something else.

If you have nothing to do and you want a decent laugh, I think this film isn't a bad choice. I certainly got my fill of laughs. But to be perfectly honest, compared to the rest of Ferrer's output, I wouldn't rank this at the top.

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