Title : Lagi Lagi Senario
Year : 2001
Director : Aziz M. Osman
Screenplay : Aziz M. Osman
Cast : Azlee, Mazlan, Saiful Apek, Wahid, Yassin, Wardina, Ani Maiyuni, Accapan, Robert Kong, Osman Kering, Syanie, etc.

Reviewer : Reuben Kee
Rating : ***

Lagi Lagi Senario - review by Reuben Kee

Is there a set of rules and regulations on how the perfect comedy movie can be made? Down the history of movies, from the good old days of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, right up to Eddie Murphy and now, Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Brothers, comedy in films have been spotted in all kinds of shapes, sizes, socio-status and its fair share of failures and unbearable presentations (movies like the "The Cable Guy", the various Hong Kong "ridiculous" movies and more recently, "The Bubble Boy").

Bringing the context back to the local scene - the Senario gang consists of a bunch of guys who go comically amok with their wild and humorous antics on their own weekly shows, which have gained them a large following of Malaysian fans. In a nutshell, the gang may be branded as shameless and unorganised (one might be tempted to think that their typical episodes were staged impromptu), but there is no denying of their success. And after releasing two very successful movies already, they are now back for their third movie outing. Anything new to offer? Hmmm... yes and no... can't really ask a tiger to completely turn itself into a vegetarian now, can we?

Whereas in the previous installment the gang dealt with the issue of theme parks and car thefts, director Aziz M. Osman has chosen to bring his setting to one of Malaysia's most famous food, the roti canai. Wahid (almost every character in this movie are named after their real names) is a young, kind-hearted waiter who is fired by his supercilious employer (a French chef) in an opening sequence that may be a bit offensive, but is nevertheless a humorous recollection of how an ulu person eats French food. Running aimlessly and without direction, he was fortunate enough to meet up with Azlee, who runs a warong store, selling Saiful's trademark roti canai. Together with Yassin, the four happily work together to establish their little business.

Enters Mazlan, a cutthroat businessman who opened another warong beside them. And how he defeats Azlee in this little business rivalry? He steals Saiful of course, and in due time, Yassin too. This caused Azlee to be upset and Wahid more determined than ever to learn the culinary know-hows of making the best roti canai. Of course, along the way, expect loads of laughter inspired by the silent film era, right up to the jokes that will either bring a smile to your face or make you thick with annoyance.

Back to the question brought about at the beginning of the review... are there rules in making a great comedic film? Perhaps there is, because it seems that Aziz had thrown in almost everything that is remotely considered humorous to the audience. Maybe it is due to the fact that this movie is nothing more than a money raking machine, and the director was probably afraid of losing its audiences, and that at almost every turn, there is a "scene" (a term coined by yours truly in describing a critical or important moment in a certain movie, be it in the usage of humour or tragedy or romantic moment or a big action showdown). So did it work? So-so. Was it effective? So-so. Is it worth the money you pay? Again... so-so.

In a nutshell, I am not going to point out the obvious weaknesses that one may expect from a local picture. I do want to say that this is one of those movies that may not be that appealing to the more "sophisticated" group or maybe even (sadly) for the none Malay community out there. This may be partly due to the fact that some of the jokes are quite "un-understandable" for people who have not grasp the latest lingo of the Malay language. However, personally, I think that the movie does have moments when everyone can join in the laugh…but some may not want to be caught doing so. Some of the humour here are so facile and frivolous that it is funny and embarrassing at the same time.

In the spirit of Hitchcock and Tarantino, do check the many hidden gems and special guest appearances that are quite consistent throughout the movie. So keep your eyes peeled open and see how many you can spot. I especially like the scene where Aziz himself made an appearance. Check out the T-Shirt he is wearing.

The verdict? Not the best of comedies but then again, I have seen worse productions. What this movie has is a heart, and in comparison to the other previous two installments, I have to say that this one is more down to earth and tries at least to reach the dramatic sensitivity level. In the meantime... roti canai anyone?

Source : http://www.cinemaonline.com.my (16/12/2001)