Ang Turkey Man Ay Pabo Rin is built on the tension that emerges whenever you see a Filipina and an American walking hand-in-hand at the mall. It knows that there is at least some level of judgment being made at that given moment, and it seeks to challenge those preconceptions through comedy. It is a very worthy goal, one that the film is able to pull off with some panache. The film milks a few of its jokes a little too long, and there are a few glaring production hiccups, but its affable tone and enthusiastic cast make it a real treat.
Filipina Cookie (Tuesday Vargas) and American Matthew (Travis Kraft) met through kanoluvspinay.com, an Internet dating service that specializes in this kind of matchup. The two are the subjects of a video being shot to promote the site and its success stories. The film mostly concerns the events of the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Matthew relates the challenges of adapting to the wackier elements of Filipino culture, while Cookie goes out of her way to fulfill her beau’s one wish: to have a turkey on Thanksgiving.
The plot isn’t really as important as what surrounds it. Cookie’s quest for a Thanksgiving turkey results in a couple of funny physical moments, but the film has to bend over backwards to sustain the challenge for the length of its runtime. The real meat of this story is in its exploration of this odd couple romance. I say “odd,” but that’s a descriptor of the genre more than anything. The point of the film is that the relationship, though it might look strange at first, is just as natural as anything else. There are perhaps a few more obstacles to overcome, but the differences in culture and the social stigma don’t really matter in the long run.
The only thing that matters is that these characters seem to genuinely love each other, and the film treats their relationship like any other relationship. Whatever headaches they encounter are overcome through discussion and compromise. Cookie isn’t a gold digger. She isn’t just looking to be taken away to the States. And Matthew isn’t looking for a subordinate wife, though the film makes it clear that there are Americans out there who want exactly that. The film challenges the preconceived ideas of what these relationships are like and instead depicts something pleasingly conventional: a pair of people in love learning to live with each other’s differences. It’s a really sweet sentiment, and it is ultimately what makes the film so remarkable.
A lot of the film is funny, and strong delivery from the cast enhances that a great deal. It runs a little broad and a little easy, but by and large the film has a strong observational core that minds smart humor from the situation. Tuesday Vargas has always been a solid performer, and she doesn’t squander her time in the spotlight at all. She really shines in the more dramatic moments, finding the quiet humanity in the broadness of her character. Travis Kraft feels a little out of sync with the rest of the cast when the banter is flying, but his ability to deliver bemused looks serves him really well. And together, the two come off as a wholly plausible couple.
Ang Turkey Man ay Pabo Rin can feel a little rough around the edges. There is, in fact, a noticeable production error in one of the scenes that’s made even more glaring by the choice meant to conceal it. And many of the scenes could be a little tighter. But the shagginess doesn’t detract from its charms. The film triumphs through its comedic compassion, the obvious care that it exhibits for all of its characters. So much of our local comedy seems to be based on tearing people down. It is really nice to feel a film that goes the opposite way, exposing the happy humanity in something that people are inherently suspicious of.
My Rating:
