THE WAIT IS OVER!
5
By mmfl03
As a fan of WAITING IN THE WINGS, the wait (you’ll pardon the unintended pun) for this sequel was far too long.
For those who never saw the first film - fear not - this installment stands on its own.
Scripted by Jeffrey Johns, who created the characters and wrote the original film, along with Arie Gonzalez, and directed by Q. Allan Brocka, who is no stranger to the genre, STILL WAITING is great fun! Packed full of musical numbers, which are just long enough to entertain, and short enough to keep the film’s pace moving, the story, which could seem contrived, is nothing short (sorry, Jeffrey and Joe) of the genuine and inherent quest of chasing dreams. While the celebrity cameo appearances are great fun, they don’t “make” the film. What makes the film is Johns, Brocka, and their team’s storytelling.
As with the first film, there’s plenty of meaty flesh and skin, providing eye candy, and the lighthearted humor flows from scene to scene. Johns’ wide-eyed, innocent Anthony, at the center of it all, subconsciously (perhaps consciously for some) causes viewers to revert back to a simpler, more hopeful time in their lives, even if only for 107 minutes.
It’s clear that Johns, and his cast members, have developed personal friendships since the first film. The chemistry between them permeates the screen, in each and every scene. This is no more true than the “stoop scene,” which, appears to be the “turning point” in the film. Observed from a window above, by Blake Peyrot’s Lee, Rena Strober’s Rita, and Lee Merriweather’s Ethel (who, thankfully, has more screen time in this film), Johns’ Anthony and Adam Huss’ Tony, who up until that point appeared to be polar opposites, share a candid, “heart to heart” where we find that they’re more similar than we, or they, would’ve thought. They’re both just individuals, struggling with heartache, caused really through no fault of their own. Each serves as an objective observer to the other’s plight, and offers candid counsel. These two are not just “roommates,” but friends.
At first, this viewer thought that, while the “entertainment” value was in full-force, the film seemed to lack the “heart” that the first one exuded. He was wrong, as from the “stoop scene,” onward, the film rides its heart all the way into the sunset.
My hope, at this point, is that Johns and his team don’t keep us FURTHER STILL WAITING IN THE WINGS, for the third installment. The world needs music . . . and for this story to continue . . .