Movies made and starred in by families are some of the most personal and intriguing, as you can feel the natural chemistry between them. Think “A Quiet Place,” “Donnie Darko,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” “The Fabulous Filipino Brothers” does this to the highest caliber, and will hopefully go down as one of the most honest and comedic family movies to date.
“The Fabulous Filipino Brothers” is about, well, four Filipino brothers as they go through life, love, break-ups, and hardships together. They are played by real life brothers Dante, Dionysio, Derek, and Darion Basco. Their sister Arianna also plays the narrator, pulling the familial aspect to another level. The chemistry is off the charts, because these siblings have grown up with each other their whole life. Who’s going to have the better connection: random actors who only met a few weeks ago, or brothers who have lived their whole lives together? The proof is in the pudding, as “The Fabulous Filipino Brothers” is one of the best examples showcasing why a cast with a tight bond between each other is almost always successful.
It opens on the four brothers getting ready for a wedding. A brief description of each brother—told by the narrator—perfectly expresses the essence of each. Deo (Derek Basco), the reliable one, Duke (Dante Basco) the lucky one, David (Dionysio Basco), the funny one, and Danny Boy (Darion Basco), the dark one. Although not expressed by the first appearance, these traits are shown wonderfully throughout the four vignettes, one for each brother. Although each story is rather self-contained, taking place a number of days before the wedding in which they reunite, it’s glorious to see them all intertwine at one point. All four stories have entirely different tones, but they’re woven together so seamlessly that it’s hard to believe they were ever separate at all.
Deo has probably the most entertaining vignette. When Deo promises to pay for the food at the wedding out of guilt, he scrambles to gather it all together. This leads him to an underground casino, a black market meet-up, and finally, a cockfight. The sequence where Deo tries to inject his chicken with performance enhancing drugs in order to win the money back is easily one of the most hilarious and wacky segments of the film.
“The Fabulous Filipino Brothers” marks Dante Basco’s (Duke) directorial debut, (although he co-wrote it along with his brothers), and although his filmmaking talent is surely there, his vignette is one of the weakest in terms of plot and acting. It was a surprise too, as Dante plays fan-favorite Zuko in “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and he’s one of the most well-acted characters in that show. Duke’s segment follows him going on a work trip back to his childhood home in the Philippines for the week, leaving his wife in California. There he sees and reunites with his high-school sweetheart, and he starts to struggle between his feelings with her and his wife. The romantic dialogue is utterly unbearable, straight out of a 2006 Adam Sandler movie. And lots of the character’s actions just don’t make sense. After a night with his former lover, (spoiler) Duke just up and decides to call his wife and leave her. He ultimately doesn’t go through with it after one of the most strange twists ever. I won’t spoil, but it’s a devastating ending and there’s almost zero repercussions for Duke or his character.
Director Dante Basco. Photo: Storm Santos.
David, the funny one/screw-up, has the most brief segment, but it’s still incredibly effective. Before the wedding, David and a mystery woman hilariously perform sexual innuendos on various Filipino foods. While only spanning five or so minutes, it encapsulates David’s wild and eccentric nature so well, even compared to Duke’s forty minute section that gave us far less insight into his character.
The last segment follows Danny Boy. It may have been my least favorite, but it seemed more grounded in the true nature of the brother than any of the others. He’s the dark horse of the family, and it’s obvious that Darion truly relates to that. After Danny Boy’s last girlfriend left and took his son, he’s been extremely isolated, barely ever leaving his room. This vignette follows him finally breaking out of his shell and going on a date, where he meets a beautiful pregnant woman. This is all fine and good so far, but it’s when the two finally start talking that it goes off the rails. They almost immediately dive into each other’s traumas and problems, a trope I always hate in rom-coms. They met minutes ago and yet they already know each other’s darkest secret. It’s unrealistic and frankly, a lazy form of exposition.
It gets worse when forced melodrama gets thrown into the mix, in the scene where Danny Boy’s date flees off in a hurry, scared that he’ll leave her because of her soon to be born child. And of course, they’re saying “I love yous by the morning, mere hours after they met. Very cliché, and it’s been done far better before.
I’d like to note that the soundtrack is absolutely astounding. Every song fits perfectly into the tone of every vignette, and acts as the icing on the almost perfect cake.
“The Fabulous Filipino Brothers’” episodic storytelling highlighting each brother is certainly effective, especially with brothers Deo and David. But where it really shines is the pure connection between the actors, their chemistry and history shining through within every passing frame. Although there are minor blemishes when the brothers go their separate ways, each moment of the family is a joy to behold.
*”The Fabulous Filipino Brothers” premiered on March 16th at SXSW and is available to ticket holders and press until March 21st at 1 AM CST.
