MOVIE REVIEW: Becky and Badette Is a Good Time That Barely Holds Together

(SPOT.ph) Becky and Badette opens with a tribute to Ishmael Bernal’s 1984 comedy Working Girls. The opening plays the latter’s theme song against scenes of women in colorful office wear walking around Ortigas Center, before landing on a trio of women arriving for work at an office building. It’s cute, but it doesn’t really have much to do with what the movie is about. And a lot of Becky and Badette is like this: random references that don’t really come together to form a cohesive picture.

The movie is actually about the two titular characters, played by Eugene Domingo and Pokwang. They’re best friends that were stars back in school but have ended up as cleaning ladies in an office building. At their school reunion, where they are treated very badly, they end up getting drunk and announcing to their class that they’re lesbians, even though they are straight. A video taken of the announcement goes viral, and this suddenly gives the two all the opportunities they’ve been craving all their lives.

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Becky and Badette movie review

The plot kicks in pretty late in the movie, after a lengthy first act that largely establishes their lack of success and their love of quoting from Vilma Santos films. The movie then has the duo rocketing to fame then catches up with them a year later, doing interviews and being courted for endorsements, with the lie still hanging over their heads. This is the point where the movie gets pretty interesting, as it parses the layers of performance in these people living fake lives. In the story, the two are an inspiration, and are spreading awareness of the broken perceptions people have about lesbians. They’ll talk about discrimination and microaggressions, and walk out of a meeting where a pitched proposal leans hard on sexual stereotypes.

At the same time, of course, the characters are completely lying, and it’s fun to watch the actresses get into the inherent discomfort of their roles. Eugene Domingo and Pokwang are just great, playing outsized roles while still managing to stay very human. They’re eminently watchable, even as the story takes a turn into less compelling territory. There’s a stretch here that largely drops the lesbian angle and has the two pining for a former beau. A lot of it is funny, with individual gags that really sing. But these largely detract from the main tension of the story.

In the final act, it feels like the movie is trying to say something about cancel culture but it doesn’t really feel like a complete thought. And this kind of thing always feels a little weird, having to address something most people will never have to worry about, since the vast majority of the population isn’t living the kind of public lives celebrities are so desperate to hold on to.

Becky and Badette is often very funny. It’s also very well produced, with great cinematography from Kara Moreno, and some wild production and costume design from JayLo Conanan. The performances are terrific, with amazing leads and really fun supporting turns from the likes of Agot Isidro and Romnick Sarmenta. It’s just all a little too random, with a story that feels thrown together, glued into place by a penchant for references to other things. It’s a good time, but not necessarily something that will move hearts.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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