- A boring film involving Yana Samsudin in a love triangle
- This film is a natural sleeping pill
THIS is the third Yana Samsudin film that I’ve seen since December. The other two are Cinta Strawberi and Minyak Dagu. All three are disappointing. I’m not sure why filmmakers are attracted to Yana. She’s a pleasant enough person, but she just doesn’t have the magnetism or dramatic chops of Lisa Surihani or Maya Karin.
She is, of course, not helped by the lame plot and dialogue of director Ismail Bob Hashim’s Wawa Semput. A comedy that’s lacking in humour is a serious matter, and I even found time to take 40 winks during the film.
The oddball combination of Angah Raja Lawak and Along Raja Lawak also doesn’t add to the film. The duo were a hit in Taikun, but in Wawa Semput, they’re just annoying.
They get on your nerves without even trying. The big fat guy and small skinny guy combo may work in some films, but viewers will not be the least bit interested in them in Wawa Semput.
Yana Samsudin and Angah Raja Lawak table a proposal.
Wawa (Yana) runs a burger stall with boyfriend Bobby (Angah). She works hard to operate it but is pissed off with Bobby’s lackadaisical attitude. Her patience runs out and she breaks off the relationship with him and flees to her dad’s home in the countryside.
Their friend, Ismat (Along), spots an opportunity to make a move on her. He volunteers to drive her back home, hoping that she’ll introduce him to her dad.
Bobby realises the error of his ways and makes an attempt to win her back. He chases the travelling couple on his motorcycle but ends up with his face on the windscreen. This, dear viewers, is supposed to be funny, but it’s just so boring.
Yana and Along Raja Lawak aren’t filled with bags of humour.
The film’s sole funny moment is when a masseur stretches the limbs of Bobby, who was earlier thrown off the car. Nothing else of note happens for the rest of the film.
The masseur turns out to be Wawa’s dad, who’s doing it to supplement his income as a food stall (warung) operator.
Wawa can’t make up her mind whether to choose Bobby or Ismat, so the boys dig in for the long run and pitch up tent in a homestay programme run by Ayuni (Adibah Yunus), who’s Wawa’s best friend and who also has the hots for Ismat.
Wawa helps out at her dad’s stall, which isn’t patronised by many customers. She suggests that he hire a mobile karaoke unit to attract customers.
Adibah Yunus and Yana take shelter from the expected rain of criticism.
Wawa, meanwhile, picks Ismat as her suitor. Bobby joins forces with Ayani to make the other couple jealous.
The guys quibble over who’s more religious. The two couples fight over who can catch more fish in a waterfall and who can bring more supplies to a picnic.
These scenes are an embarrassment to watch. You can’t understand how low the director goes to draw laughs from the audience.
Viewers will also want to know why Wawa has such an effect on Bobby and Ismat. Viewers will appreciate the fact that she’s a hard worker but that’s no reason for her to have such sway over the two guys.
The film, however, has minor positive points, especially in its portrayal of women. Wawa is shown as the smart one in the burger stall operation with Bobby. She’s the one who also makes suggestions to her dad on how to improve his stall’s business. Ayani is the shrewd businesswoman of the homestay programme.
Angah and Along blame each other for the film’s dismal performance.
The film’s overlying theme is a love triangle, but beneath it, there’s an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the economic reality.
1½ out of 5
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