Pinoy films then...

I talked about the basic elements of a formulaic Filipino GP film in my class. I did it before in my other classes and it never failed to make them laugh.

So what makes a typical Pinoy GP film?

First, there has to be a poor but kind man and a young, beautiful rich couple's daughter with a dirty old man for a suitor. Next, there has to be around 5 kids, one of whom is a rich kid who ran away from home. They are all being taken cared of by the poor but kind man. Or, if there won't be kids, there has to be around 3 teenaged loveteams in the movie. The elderly parent of the poor man usually is presented to always be nagging at his/her son for not being as successful at somebody else. Oh, and there has to be the bad guys, of course.

A typical Filipino GP film has...
COMEDY. Mainly seen all throughout the movie, usually in slapstick format.

ROMANCE. The poor but kind man gets the rich beautiful daughter eventually.

TRIPS. The entire cast will usually go on an excursion, usually to the beach.

MUSIC. Somehow, during the whole excursion, the whole cast gets into a song and dance number, complete with choreography and back-up dancers. Often, that part ends with everyone jumping up high and the camera freezes the shot.

HORROR. On their way back home, their van breaks down right in front of an old scary house. The rain pours down and they are left with no choice but to seek shelter in the "haunted house". Once inside, all sorts of creepy events meet them. Usually, there's a scary old woman or a scary hunchbacked man.

MYSTERY. Inside the house, someone from the pack goes missing and the whole gang searches for their missing companion.

ACTION. Eventually, the cast will realize, while on their search for their missing member, that the "haunted house" is just a safehouse for some bad guys doing some illegal activity. All these will be revealed and the good gang will try to beat up the bad guys. Oftentimes, one of the good guys gets hit by a teammate by mistake. Eventually, when the bad guys have been beaten, the cops will arrive at the scene.

DRAMA. The runaway kid (or alien or angel, in some cases), will be leaving the shanties to go back to his/her rich parents (or to his/her home planet...or to heaven) and everyone in the gang will be crying their goodbyes.

A HAPPY ENDING. The parents of the rich runaway kid (if this is the case) will realize how sad their kid will be and asks the poor but kind man to live with them instead so everybody will be rich and happy.

Sometimes, if the musical isn't in the middle part of the movie, it will be at the end.