Si Ayala at si Zobel (Tagalog: Ayala and Zobel) and Ang Pinakamahabang Baba sa Balat ng Lupa (Tagalog: The Longest Chin in the Face of Earth) are two comedy films from the 1990s that are part of our guilty pleasure list.
We would like to share some thoughts on these movies, both of which have been viewed for the nth time.
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Photo Credit: OctoArts Films |
Si Ayala at si Zobel is a 1994 movie that employs humor to shed light on the most Filipinos' aspirations to become wealthy.
The protagonists are implicitly named after the Zobel de Ayala family, one of the richest in the country.
Ironically, Ayala (Anjo Yllana) and Zobel (Ogie Alcasid) portray janitors -- members of the working class.
One day, they got a windfall. From there, hilarious situations arise.
More than thirty years later, the same economic woes beleaguer Filipino society. The working-class dream of getting a huge amount of wealth strikes a chord in this movie.
Si Ayala at si Zobel is escapist entertainment that digs into the working-class dream of getting rich. It is not the type that will earn the approval of critics, but will be enjoyable to the masses.
These views come with a caveat: some of the humor might be considered politically incorrect, given today's sensibilities.
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Photo Credit: Good Harvest Productions / IMDb |
The late Filipino comedian Pablo Martin Sarmiento, better known as Babalu, had a screen name that refers to his long, sharp chin (baba is the Tagalog term for chin).
Released in 1997, Ang Pinakamahabang Baba sa Balat ng Lupa is the first one of movies starring Babalu having a title that explicitly mentions the anatomical feature for which he became famous.
The title is translated to English as The Longest Chin in the Face of Earth.
Babalu plays a supporting role to the lead comedian(s) or is cast in equal billing with other comedians in the majority of the entries in his filmography. (For example, Si Ayala at si Zobel)
For a welcome change, Ang Pinakamahabang Baba sa Balat ng Lupa is one of the few movies in which Babalu is the lead comedian. It is a quintessential movie STARRING Babalu.
Released a year before Babalu's passing in 1998, the movie Ang Pinakamahabang Baba sa Balat ng Lupa is definitely one of the movies that will define his place in the history of Filipino comedy movies.
