‘Hey Babe!’ REVIEW: When the ‘m’ in romcom stands for misogyny
‘Hey Babe!’ REVIEW: When the ‘m’ in romcom stands for misogyny
Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal are Nelson and Abigail in Bernal’s ‘Hey Babe!’.
This review contains spoilers on ‘Hey Babe!’.
If you’re an avid follower of the pop culture here in the Philippines, you’ve probably heard of the song, ‘Chuva Choo Choo’ by Jolina Magdangal and Nikki Valdez. No, it’s not that song from Phineas and Ferb. It ain’t Mike Posner’s song either. It’s one of the most iconic songs that definitely became a trend in the ‘90s with its catchy lyrics and simple dance steps that is sure to make one groove along to the beat. But did you know it was part of the soundtrack of Hey Babe!, a 1999 movie directed by Joyce E. Bernal? Well, it’s alright if you didn’t as the song obviously eclipsed the movie it was written for, a typical romcom that is emotional at best but clothed in undeniable cheesiness.
“Whenever you see him, you’re always smiling. Your eyes begin to sparkle. Your heart beats louder. And then your hands feel cold and stiff. And then your chest starts to hurt and you seem to have difficulty in breathing.”
This is what “chuva choo choo” means according to Queenie (Nikki Valdez) who explains this to her best friend, Abigail (Jolina Magdangal). Those words sum up the premise of the movie, a superficial tale of being in love with the concept of love as we follow Abigail and her dream of finally meeting “the one” for her. However, this is given a twist when we learn from the literal beginning of the film that she lets signs and tarot cards dictate her life.
Nelson prepares to kiss Abigail.
It’s understandable that movies sometimes don’t age well as society becomes more, for a lack of a better word, woke. The problem with Hey Babe! is that its story falls under the dilemma of the romcom genre’s tendency to be misogynistic. This might seem to be a stretch, but upon analyzing the movie, it will make sense. So Nelson (Marvin Agustin) is a hopeless romantic who fell head over heels in love with Abigail. But as she doesn’t like him at all, he decides to bribe Madam Lola (Gina Pareño), the fortune teller, to put the odds in his favor by lying to Abigail.
Now as we get acquainted with Abigail, we know that she is a firm believer of different superstitions ranging from “black cats that bring misfortune” and “feng shui arrangements that bring luck” to her compatibility with her future lover being dependent on their stars’ alignment. It’s actually a funny yet relatable representation of Filipinos as we are known to hold on to these traditional beliefs—the Tagalog word for fate, “kapalaran” is even derived from “palad” or hand which brings us back to fortune telling.
The movie betrays its female protagonist in a way that could be so subtle, it’s cunning. The issue here is that Abigail didn’t like Nelson from the start with all his uncalled for harassment, but the audience is forced to believe that because of the movie’s “follow your heart” message, it’s acceptable that they end up together—at the expense of Abigail’s ideals. Well her ideals might not be logical, but to each her own. It could easily be a movie where a girl gives up her work or any other thing of value for a guy. It’s important to look at the movie through this lens as this happens often in romcom flicks; the thing that prevents them from getting flak is hiding its misogynistic nature in “lessons” that don’t only serve the plot, but also the patriarchy.
Abigail is yet another victim of patriarchy in the movie.
Another interpretation of the movie could be that if a person really wants to achieve something, he must do everything he can to do so. That’s practically Nelson’s mantra as he keeps on courting Abigail. However, this would also be problematic in the movie’s case as Abigail doesn’t really like Nelson. This claim is supported by the scene where Abigail consults Madam Lola and the latter says that the one destined for her is the one who will give her bread. Nelson’s family owns a bakeshop in the movie, and Abigail mentions his name with disgust on her face. Another reason why this theme isn’t applicable is that he manipulated Abigail in the way that he, again, bribed Madam Lola. No, this isn’t an exaggerated analysis as Abigail herself felt that way as she slapped Nelson after learning about it.
The film also suffers from finding a fitting resolution to the protagonists’ story. It’s as if they didn’t know where the movie was gonna go seeing that there are many unnecessary parts that just make it cheesier. Some subplots also weren’t given a proper explanation like the fate of Abigail’s mother’s new love interest and Nito’s pregnant wife. The ending is a laughable attempt at a romantic grand gesture present in other romcom movies with Nelson riding a jeepney to catch up with Abigail’s train. The only upside of this sequence is the PNR train itself as it evokes nostalgia and is a sight to see on film.
Straying away from the movie’s many shortcomings, its strength lies on the power couple that is Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal. Nikki Valdez is also an honorable mention as she plays the best friend role very well. But the on-screen lovers’ chemistry was more noticeable as it was at its most powerful given that they’ve already done a number of movies before as partners such as FLAMES: The Movie in 1997 and Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? and Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo! both in 1998. A fun fact that one can learn from the pre-show and from Jolina’s post on Facebook is that the two weren’t on good terms while shooting the film, yet they still did an amazing job in giving performances that are sure to make one feel the “kilig.”
It must be said that Hey Babe! is not without flaws as it is problematic. But if you’re down for a few laughs, then it is definitely for you. There’s also a lot of dancing in this that’s undoubtedly one of the highlights of this film, so it’s a major plus if you’re a dancer. The movie might also feel cheesy in some parts, but that’s not a major problem thanks to ‘MarJo.’ Just keep this in mind while watching the movie: listening to the “chuva choo choo” in your heart isn’t always the right thing.
Hey Babe! is now available on KTX for 150 PHP.
