Quickie Express (2007)

Directed by: Dimas Djayadinigrat | 117 minutes | action, drama, comedy, romance, crime | Actors: Sandra Dewi, Reuben Ellishama, Ria Irawan, Melissa Karim, Tio Pakusodewo, Lukman Sardi, Tino Saroenggallo, Ira Maya Sopha, Tora Sudiro, Aming Sugandhi, Rudy Wowor

The Indonesian film ‘Quickie Express’ has all the hallmarks of becoming a modest cult hit and seems to possess the momentum and flair during its set-up to realize this potential. Jojo is a lanky layabout with tattoos and semi-hip long hair who wants to become cool and successful in an unusual profession. The whole is topped with a nice retro seventies sauce that evokes memories of the original Shaft, not least because of the funky music that is very similar to Isaac Hayes’ work for that film.

In terms of era and subject, ‘Quickie Express’ is also reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Boogie Nights’. Like Mark Wahlberg, Jojo comes to the realization that he has one hitherto untapped and great talent that he must start using. With Wahlberg this was literally his big sex, with Jojo it is in fact his whole body and character: he turns out to be born for the profession of gigolo.

But Jojo only possesses these qualities in the beginning. So he will have to go into training to become a master seducer. Together with a sliver-thin Bob Marley fan, and a man with a headband and speech impediment, he undergoes a wacky training a la ‘The Full Monty’, in which they must spin sexy around poles and locate the g-spot on an anatomical map. . And then it’s time for the first customers, of the simplest kind. It’s here that the film largely trades its hip, winking style for a flat high school comedy that’s more ‘Deuce Bigalow’ than ‘Boogie Nights’. Besides poo and pee humor and the obligatory jokes about small genitals, there is also an attempt to insert a quasi-dramatic story about Jojo’s relationship plans when he meets the attractive Lila (Sandra Dewi) and wants to keep his profession a secret. This then leads to the usual comical perils where Jojo diligently tries to avoid his (former) customers when he is out with Lila. And of course Lila’s mother also turns out to be a big customer of his.

Unfortunately, ‘Quickie Express’ thus becomes too old, whereby all the clichés are brought out. There is also room for such a typical Saturday Night Fever dance showdown as already featured in ‘Pulp Fiction’ and, more recently, ‘Starsky and Hutch’. Quite amusing, but hardly surprising. In addition, it is also deadly that the pace of the film drops too much and the playing time of about two hours is way too long. What starts out as a fairly hip and fresh retro comedy unfortunately gradually turns into a boring, long stretched wannabe pulp film.