And The Breadwinner Is…, director Jun Robles Lana’s 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, throws messy family dynamics into a loud, fun spotlight.
Now streaming on Netflix, And The Breadwinner Is… follows overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Bambi Salvador (Vice Ganda), who finds herself wanting to go home to Pampanga after spending years working in Taiwan to help support her family. Vice Ganda wastes no time in putting her trademark humor front and center, walking the audience through her many side hustles to send money home: from a lineworker at a cake factory, to a pent-up, aggressive masseuse, and a homesick lip-syncing drag queen, to name a few.
When Bambi decides to go home on a whim, she realizes that her family has been lying to her for years about how they’ve been spending their money. Her brother Biboy (Jhong Hilario) has made too many bad financial decisions to count, and her sister-in-law Mayet (Gladys Reyes), along with her youngest siblings Buneng (Maris Racal) and Boy (Kokoy De Santos), are all just as clueless — and careless — when it comes to handling money. Adding to the chaos, her mother (Malou De Guzman) is losing her grip on her memories due to Alzheimer’s, confusing Bambi for her estranged sister Baby (Eugene Domingo).
With such a large ensemble cast, you may think that some family members might get lost in the shuffle. But each actor shines brightly, loudly owning their screen time (and the film’s actual screen time, which clocks at a little over two hours) and riffing off each other with perfect comedic timing.
Domingo goes toe-to-toe with Vice Ganda, donning a ridiculous Italian accent while fiercely asserting her role as the oldest, albeit absent, sister. Racal plays the delightfully sassy bunso, who is also quick to amp up the cheesiness with her onscreen love interest Anton (Anthony Jennings). There is an added layer of humor, along with a touch of awkwardness, in watching Racal and Jennings play young lovers in the movie, but it’s clear that Racal holds her own and brings a level of groundedness to her role.
Still, Vice Ganda is undoubtedly the real star of the show. Even the most casual fan knows how effortlessly she leans into camp, a skill she’s perfected in characters like Praybeyt Benjamin and Ms. Uzeklovakia, both of whom make cheeky cameo appearances in the film. But what sets her performance as Bambi apart is her ability to bring real emotional weight to the role.
For all its sharp jokes and slapstick comedy, And The Breadwinner Is… tackles the many realities that come with working as an OFW away from home, fractured families, and the difficulty of starting over after so much has already been lost. Vice Ganda is well aware of the gravity of Bambi’s situation, and she masterfully brings her emotional wounds to the forefront. At the climax of the film, when the Salvador family erupts in a chaotic shouting match, Vice Ganda cuts through the noise by screaming even louder, “Kung huminto ako, sinong gagalaw? Kung nagpahinga ako, sinong kikilos? Wala namang kikilos, diba? Kasi wala naman akong backup. Wala akong backup kasi ako ‘yong backup.”
While there are moments like Vice Ganda’s climax monologue that deliver a powerful emotional punch, it’s important to note that much of the film fails to sustain that level of depth. Instead, it often falls back on slapstick comedy and exaggerated antics just as the serious moments begin to take hold, which weakens the impact of its heavier themes. Lana, known for his sharp touch in dramedies like Die Beautiful, at times seems to be holding back, preventing the story from realizing its potential. What could have been a complex take on the burdens that both OFWs and their families carry ended up scattering the narrative that leaned too hard on one-liners.
What’s more, the film’s final act takes a sudden turn, rushing the emotional growth of the Salvador family while slapping on an easy ending that felt unexpected and somewhat unearned. All of the family’s earlier dysfunctions are quickly forgiven (perhaps too quickly), and while I’m all for forgiveness and clean conclusions, the film’s ending seemed to undermine the complexity the story had built up until then.
And The Breadwinner Is…, despite its faults, remains a joy to watch. The film shines with sharp humor, genuine heart, and a cast that captures both the absurdity and complexity of family chaos.
