Apparently, Vice Ganda’s MMFF film, ‘The Mall, The Merrier’ is up for boycott after netizens point out Vice’s cringey and offensive humor. Find out more here:

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Ahh, Christmas–the most awaited holiday of the year. And for us Filipinos, it also means that it’s time to enjoy the Metro Manila Film Festival. And one of the front runners of this celebration is the “Unkabogable” Stand-up Comedian, Vice Ganda.

Since 2012, Vice Ganda has been cooking up iconic comedy films such as ‘Sisterakas’ and ‘The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin’ in the MMFF. As a result, you’d never fail to see long lines and crowded people in the cinemas every time.

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Read more: Here’s a look at this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival entries!

Comedy as a ‘legit genre’

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This year, we have ‘The Mall, The Merrier’, as Vice Ganda’s entry. During the film’s press conference, Vice pointed out that the reason why people watch comedy is that it has become a staple here in the Philippines every Christmas. He said:  “Hindi pwede mawala sa buhay natin ang comedy. Hindi pwede mawala sa Pasko ang comedy. Can you imagine Christmas without comedy?”

“And comedy is a genre. It’s a legit genre. It’s as special as drama, adventure, action. Hindi ko lang maintindihan kung bakit parang ang baba ng tingin ng tao sa comedy, na hindi siya kasing-antas ng drama.”

Social media rage

However, instead of ending it with a good note, Vice’s sentiments were received negatively. Many people countered his statements saying that comedy is indeed a legit genre but Vice’s way of portraying is blatantly offensive–which is not the humor people are looking for.

Most of these people took it to social media their thoughts and we’ve got to say…they do have a point.

Downgrade of Filipino cinema

In case you didn’t know, aside from being a well-known comedian and TV host, Vice Ganda has also been the subject of many controversies regarding his “offensive or tasteless humor”.

Read more: Vice Ganda gets flak for ‘rape’ joke

Furthermore, one thing we can note from Vice’s movies is that sometimes it doesn’t have any direction. We see many awkward punchlines in the film and makes us wonder why the hell the director let that off the hook.

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All in all, COMEDY is indeed a legit genre and shouldn’t be degraded to a lesser category. But this can only be possible if filmmakers always aim for comedy films that actually make sense. And this also goes to audiences to always voice out what we can improve on Filipino cinema.

There’s no way to accurately define the best humor to be portrayed but the deciding factor should be that it doesn’t step on anyone’s dignity or should be made at the expense of other people’s looks or gender. Correct?

 

What do you think of people threatening to boycott Vice Ganda’s MMFF film, ‘The Mall, The Merrier’? And do you also agree that Vice Ganda’s humor is sometimes insensitive, offensive, and cringey?

Feel free to tell us your thoughts and questions down below! Or you can hit us up on our Facebook or Twitter @UDoUPh. And if you liked this story, make sure to stay tuned here on U Do U for more updates!