Gross and Embarrassing

Yakman: DGigil King is like listening to a drunk uncle make a sexist joke. Its awkward and uncomfortable, and no one really enjoys it except the uncle. Though the film is ostensibly a comedy, its hard to find the humor in a bunch of older men basically pawing at younger women. There have been a lot of movies in the last few years with lurid content, and yet none of them feel as gross or as exploitative that this movie. Its really a sad state of affairs.

50 year-old Yakie (Leo Martinez) doesn't have any problem attracting the attention of the ladies. But he's never been able to take advantage of his charm, because he's got a bit of a problem: premature ejaculation. It's so bad that even just the sight of a comely young lady can set him off. His problem comes to fore as he becomes the target of the affections of several young ladies. He wants to get closer to them, but his condition keeps him from letting them in. His old friend Maximo (Soxie Topacio) shows up, and tries to help find a remedy for his malady.

The movie feels unbelievably long. The runtime is actually pretty standard, but time stretches out in the wave of embarrassment that this movie releases. Much of it is just the same joke played over and over. Yakie encounters something or someone vaguely sexy. He ejaculates. Rinse and repeat. It takes a very long while before the movie gets around to actually trying to address the problems of the character. It instead spends interminable stretches of time lingering on these old men ogling young women.

Its more than a little gross, and very little of it is funny. Its very difficult to be funny when the punchline is always the same. Even if you found it funny the first time, it would be doubtful that youd still be as enthusiastic for Yakies involuntary emissions by the end of the movie. The movie fills out the rest of its runtime with young women in various states of undress, all of whom are treated pretty much like random pieces of meat. Terrible production values make everything worse.

Leo Martinez ought to be better than this. The actor is capable of so much more, and one would think that this kind of crude and repetitive humor would be beneath him by now. It is depressing to watch him debase himself in the name of this movie. Soxie Topacio ought to be better than this as well. The female members of this cast arent given a whole lot to do other than wear skimpy clothing. They deliver their lines with a pronounced stiltedness that complements the emptiness of the dialogue.

Id like it to be noted that Yakman: DGigil King was given an R-13 rating. This is baffling, since it involves all sorts of sexual situations, and touches on very real elements of the local sex industry. I think it contains more objectionable material than Ted, which was given an R-18. At least that movie had a female character that wasnt just there to be half-naked. Putting that weird piece of business aside, Yakman is completely depressing as a film. It involves people who ought to know better doing very ugly things. Its all just very sad.

My Rating:

Originally posted here:
Gross and Embarrassing