“
Third World Happy” – Bida rito si Sam Milby as a balikbayan from New York na umuwi sa nilakhang bahay sa Sampaloc when his elder brother (Richard Quan) died. Halos sa kabuuan ng pelikula, walang ginawa si Sam kundi to keep quiet and brood. The character is so underwritten na hindi tayo makasimpatiya at all kay Sam. All his relatives and friends try to humor and please him pero siya itong malayo ang loob sa kanila sa di matukoy na dahilan. At one point, gusto na nga naming siyang tanungin ng diretso: “Ano bang problema mong ungas ka?” Too bad for Sam na hindi siya mahusay at resourceful enough as an actor to supply what the script lacks, di gaya ni Jodi Sta. Maria bilang kasintahang iniwan niya (and with whom he sired a son without knowing it) na ang mukha ay parang isang mapa of varied emotions that helps make you understand her character better kahit na nga marami ring kulang sa pagkakasulat nito. Di nga katakatakang she won as best supporting actress as she did wonders with a very limited part. Sa totoo lang, itong klase ng ganitong material can be done in a TV show like “Maalaala Mo Kaya”, not as an indie film, and considering their track record, we think the resident writers and directors of “MMK” would have done a better job with it than what writer-director EJ Salcedo did para sa pelikulang ito.
