Alex Calleja Directs His First Movie, 'Papa Pogi', Starring Teddy Corpuz But Gets Lots Of Help From Joey & Lassy Marquez In Making The Audience Laugh

Alex Calleja

REGAL ENTERTAINMENT takes a gamble in launching rocker-TV host Teddy Corpuz in “Papa Pogi”, directed by another comedian, Alex Calleja. Alex started as a stand up comedian and he helped stand up comedy to gain a wider audience with his Funny Fridays show at Teatrino in Greenhills with other comedians, like Nonong Ballinan and Victor Anastacio, who now both appear in the very first movie he has directed, “Papa Pogi”.

In the global search conducted by Laugh Factory for the funniest person in the world, he emerged as the number two. He then later appeared in films like “The Reunion”,  “Unli Life” and the best is “Buy Bust”, He has also published his own book of jokes with ABS-CBN Publishing, “Lakas Tawa”. Now, he is a film writer and director in “Papa Pogi” which had a successful premiere at Trinoma last Monday night. Vhong Navarro, Karylle and other stars showed up to show their support for the ribtickling movie.

Teddy Corpuz

Teddy Corpuz plays a photographer who comes from a family that was cursed by a woman spurned by one of his ancestors. All the guys in their family are born ugly, including his own dad, played by Joey Marquez. To break the curse, he has to fall in love and marry an ugly woman. He first falls for Venus, played by Donna Cariaga, his plain looking assistant, but when she hears him saying he’s not really in love with her, she goes out crying and gets hit by a car.

His new assistant is a beautiful and sexy girl, Helena, played by Myrtle Sarrosa. If he’d fall for her, then the curse would not be broken because she’s not ugly, but there’s a big twist in the story, so Teddy still succeeds in breaking the curse and they beget good looking children.

Lassy Marquez

Teddy has his own funny moments but, truth to tell, the funniest scenes in the movie belong to the two Marquez guys. First is the wheel-chair bound Joey Marquez who had such funny antics with his sexy caregiver.

Then there’s Lassy Marquez who plays Teddy’s gay assistant called Becks. Lassy has more number of truly hilarious scenes, like when he suddenly starts screaming and it turns out he’s looking at himself in the mirror, and when he lied and his nose starts to bleed.

Lassy is Reginald Marquez in real life and like Vice Ganda, he started as a stand up comic and singalong host in comedy bars like Punchline and Laffline. He then started doing bit roles in films like “Sisterakas”, “Beauty and the Bestie” and “Fantastica”. We won’t be surprised if he’d get his own solo movie someday.