Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX

Unitel, in the tradition of Crying Ladies, came out with another exceptional comedy in La Visa Loca.

I never imagined I would like a Robin Padilla flick, but I changed my mind with this movie. His carabao-ish English provides the perfect personification of Filipino-everyman Jess Huson in his quest for a better life in the U.S. Johnny Delgado plays Sancho Huson, Jess’s diabetic father whose loss of hearing and periodic incoherence belies his underlying… ummm… libog. Ruffa Mae Quinto plays Mara, a single-mother and sirena in a local perya who happens to be Jess’s ex.

I don’t really want to tell much of the story, but I do find the intellectual approach at comedy to be refreshing for a Filipino film, which is, if not slapstick, is overly ridden with melodrama.

Do watch out for Sancho’s calls to a radio program as Jess listens to AM radio while driving clients around. One of the things Sancho comments on is an issue I’ve discussed before in my other blog.

Give La Visa Loca a try. It might totally change the way you look at Tagalog cinema.

And yes, I’m looking forward to watching Unitel’s next production, Pinoy Blonde.