Run Barbi Run

Run Barbi Run
Directed byTony Y. Reyes
Screenplay by
  • Rosauro dela Cruz
  • Tony Y. Reyes
Story byTony Gloria
Produced byTony Gloria
Starring
CinematographySergio Lobo
Edited byEduardo Jarlego
Music byJaime Fabregas
Production
companies
Distributed byGMA Pictures
Solar Pictures
Release date
  • July 19, 1995 (1995-07-19)
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Budget₱15 million

Run Barbi Run is a 1995 Philippine comedy film directed by Tony Y. Reyes. Joey de Leon reprises his role as the titular character and is joined by Maricel Laxa and Eraserheads. It is third installment of the Barbi trilogy, which started with Barbi: Maid in the Philippines in 1989 and the political satire comedy Barbi for President (First Lady na Rin) in 1991.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Plot

Bartolome del Rosario is a Shakey's pizza delivery boy who witnesses the massacre of the Black Scorpion Gang committed by a group of henchmen during a nighttime delivery. As a result, he is indefinitely suspended from his job and has to decide whether to turn state witness or hide forever. Ultimately, he decides to turn himself over to the authorities after his grandmother and mother appear in his dream. However, he is put on the death list of the henchmen's boss Gardo who is not pleased with his revelations. A conflict with the authorities over a supposed filmization of the massacre witnessed by Bartolome almost costs him his life after Gardo finds his whereabouts, forcing him to go into hiding. He finds himself in a bar that features gay impersonators and rock bands. Seeing an opportunity to escape from his pursuers, he disguises himself as Barbi, a gay impersonator of Barbra Streisand.

As Barbi, he is able to enjoy the life as an impersonator/DJ in the bar and becomes friends with the bar's in-house band, the Eraserheads, going as far as to save the band from music pirates copying the band's songs. But when he crossed paths with a policewoman named Victoria "Toyang" Fernandez, he reveals his true identity as the star witness of the massacre. As a result, he joins forces with Toyang and the Eraserheads to finally pin down Gardo.

Cast

Original soundtrack

  1. "Run Barbi Run" by Eraserheads
  2. "With A Smile" by Eraserheads
  3. "Magasin" by Eraserheads
  4. "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey
  5. "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick
  6. "This Is My Live (La Vida)" by Shirley Bassey

Production notes

Some of the actors that co-starred with Joey de Leon in the second Barbi film appear in Run Barbi Run in different roles. Noel Trinidad (who previously played the "presidentiable" Miguel San Pedro), Mely Tagasa (as the incumbent president's wife), Nanette Inventor (Madam "Auring" the fortune teller) and Lou Veloso (as the deranged presidentiable Domeng).

Release

Released on July 19, 1995, Run Barbi Run performed poorly at the box office.[8]

References

  1. ^ Yeatter, Bryan (2007). Cinema of the Philippines: 1897-2005. McFarland & Company. p. 354. ISBN 9780786430475. Retrieved August 6, 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Paolo Ballesteros honored to take on Joey de Leon's 'Barbi' character". Interaksyon. November 28, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Villan, Tyne (April 2, 2019). "16 craziest things that happened in OPM during the 90s and early 2000s". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Llanes, Rommel (July 2, 1995). "Sell Out!" (PDF). Expose (280). Philippine Publishing Corp.: 23. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Bautista, Mario (July 17, 1995). "Debuting Actors?". The Manila Standard. The Manila Times Publishing Corp. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Sarmiento, Joey (August 3, 1995). "Eraserheads". Modern Romances (1141). Adventures Illustrated Philippines. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Adoro, Leticia (August 12, 1995). "Stars of 'Run Barbi Run' guest on 'GMA Supershow'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Inquirer Group of Companies. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Marchadesch, Barbara (July 3, 1997). "GMA's Cinemax offers blueprint for quality films". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 20. Retrieved March 11, 2022. The one-and-a-half-year-old company saw its first production, Run Barbie Run [sic], with Joey de Leon and the Eraserheads, flop dismally at the box office.