The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Boring

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

My vote is 1 out of 10 but if there was a 0, it would be 0.The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin is an insult to the realm of cinema. The jokes were rarely funny and out of place. The shifting of moods is absolutely terrible as their attempt to go from funny to serious does not work at all. Vice Ganda was overacting nearly every scene and his only asset is his hyper-speed-talking mouth, which made his performance all the more annoying. Richard Yap could easily be replaced by a rock and no one would notice as his acting is stiffer that a stick. The worst part of this movie is the child actor, man what a performance, no emotion was express by his face at all, no anger, sadness, happiness or whatever. NONE! Just line reading. Why he was nominated for some "Best Child Actor" award is a mystery we will never solve. His performance was the worst I have ever seen in a child actor. Perhaps the only acting that was not as cringe-worthy was the villain's which was not even that good. The only character well-developed was the main character's and no one else's. Overall, I would recommend burning your DVD copy of this film or permanently deleting your pirated copy of it and just watch your dog take a crap as it has the same amount of entertainment in it.

THE AMAZING PRAYBEYT BENJAMINThis film takes off where the highly successful Part One ended, with the flamboyant and heroic Benjamin Santos VIII given honors by his state and country. Beneath the crude jokes, half-hearted gags and ridiculous plot, one can glean lessons about humility, pride, honor and a sense of family values. But I'm just being kind, because from start to finish, BENJAMIN unashamedly wallows in frothy nonsense, with four surprise guest appearances thrown in to dazzle the undazzled viewer. The authentic comic mettle one got from earlier Deramas vehicles has diminished, and Deramas can now only produce sheer nonsense, replete with product placements, "in" jokes that fall flat, and the aforementioned guest appearances. When one is bombarded midway in the movie with song-and-dance numbers (which includes the really unfunny Atak Arana as a househelper), a video game segment (don't ask) and a flash mob dance, one begins to confirm Deramas' considerable directorial talents spiraling downhill. If this is Filipino comedy (and, let me underscore, all the Vice Ganda movies make a killing at the tills), I'd rather watch indie films ad nauseum (indie film DED NA SI LOLO, in comparison, is a lot funnier, with nonstop gags and absolutely sidesplitting comic scenes).Keeping straight faces amidst all the insane proceedings is 85-year-old Eddie Garcia, who made beautifully dramatic movies in 1950s like SIETE INFANTES DE LARA (1950), EL INDIO (1953), CONTRAVIDA, LUPANG KAYUMANGGI and WALDAS (all in 1955), MGA LIGAW NA BULAKLAK (1957) and ANINO NI BATHALA (1958) (Sidenote: Garcia is the most awarded person in the long history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards. He garnered 6 Best Supporting Actor wins, 5 Best Actor wins and 5 Best Director wins, 3 Hall of Fame Awards and 1 Lifetime Achievement Award. He was awarded his first FAMAS Award in 1957 and his last FAMAS, a Hall of Fame for Best Actor, in 2003.); also, Malou de Guzman, who by now has mastered the art of keeping a straight face with all her fantasy teleserye work behind her; Al Tantay, who was a matinée idol in the 1970s; Lollie P. Mara, a Zamboangueña who always plays aristocratic roles -- she refreshingly goes loose here, especially the scene where she's really hungry and would like to start eating food at a party. Others look bored (like Kean Cipriano, DJ Durano, Boom Labrusca and comedienne Rubi Rubi. But throughout the movie, as if to compete with the inanities arrayed for Vice Ganda to do, Tom Rodríguez mugs with a capital M. He plays the villain, Janjaranjan, flanked by several heartthrob goons including Boom Labrusca. Meanwhile, Alex Gonzaga is shrill, Ricky Rivero milks a few chuckles from some key scenes, and most surprisingly of all, Richard Yap shows skill for comedy (I always found his acting in the TV soap "PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH MY HEART wooden, monotonous). His comic repartee (as a grouchy general tasked to supervise Benjamin for a bodyguard mission) was good and refreshing. Alas, Bimby Yap, son of Kris Aquino, hardly exerts himself in his second movie role. Like mother, like son. He even dresses up in drag! Bimby Yap, cute as he is, simply plays himself, a spoiled brat. I'm not a Vice Ganda fan, and every year, his comic skills run out of steam (for me), so reluctantly watching PRAYBEYT BENJAMIN 2 only reiterated my perception of Vice Ganda movies wallowing in absurd plots, unfunny gags and thin humor. This is perhaps part of the ramifications of appearing in a daily noontime show and having to churn out gags ad nauseum. Sadly, the ending has the fourth surprise star appearance (of a male teen heartthrob), paving the way for a Part Three. Not very amazing.

'The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin'or Praybeyt Benjamin 2 is a fitting movie to watch for a family who just wants to hang out together. It's purpose is give entertainment to the kids and adults who doesn't mind mindless jokes just for the sake of entertaining themselves.But for those who don't want their intelligent's to be insulted, then please avoid this movie at all cost, even only buying a popcorn will be more worth it. The story didn't made any sense, the pacing of the jokes are totally random to the point you get tired of it. And there are jokes you can't even relate to, which is not fitting for it's target audience.Gay jokes will give you mixed feelings if you just want to laugh at it or be annoyed. The actors felt like being force to their roles and character development was nonexistent except for the main character but it felt pointless in the end.The drama scenes didn't help either because out of nowhere a joke will be executed which is unnecessary. All of it are cliché's too so it will only give you an impression of "meh, whatever".Vice Ganda did a good job as an actor in this film mind you. It felt like his acting was natural like you would say this movie was made just to fit his comedian persona. His presence kept the audience entertained till the end.Overall this is a bad movie. Vice Ganda pretty much carried the show with his name alone and it's Christmas season. It is bound to be watched by families who just want to watch a funny movie.

'The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin' bears no evident effort to present something new, much less deliver something better than any of past Wenn Deramas film. Deramas has heavily relied on the same old formula for years, and while he lost hold over the intellectual and high-brow comedy followers, his works never failed to dominate the mass market that easily get drawn to his mindlessly entertaining brand of comedy.In 'The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin', his magic once again works effortlessly. His partnership with Vice Ganda proves to be an unmistakable key ingredient to his success. Here, Vice Ganda is joined by Alex Gonzaga, Richard Yap and Bimby Yap. Alex Gonzaga proves to be a reliable comic support, while Richard Yap provides mostly the 'kilig' element in the movie. Storywise, there is nothing much to see, at its heart is still Benjamin, now consumed by fame and pride, and from there the film attempts to deliver lessons on humility and family. Ultimately, though, its the endless punchlines, spoofs and unexpected cameos, that make this film a worthwhile holiday experience.