Men in saffron robes are a force to be reckoned with; in life, in headline news, and in Thai cinema. At a time when monks scuffle with monks, and sometimes with the authorities, a new Thai film about a funny monk is raking it in at the cinemas.
Luang Pee Jazz 4G
(or Brother Jazz, the "4G" part is just nonsensical) made over 20 million baht when it opened last Wednesday, on a public holiday. Over the following few days, the monk comedy didn't manage to sustain the same momentum and as of Sunday, it has made around 60 million baht. The film is likely to touch 90 or 100 million in a week or thereabout, and it is already the highest-grossing Thai movie of the year so far.What is it about funny monks that touch a chord with Thai audiences? Luang Pee Jazz, produced by Pachara Anon and directed by Poj Paset, stars Jazz Chuancheun, an in-demand young comedian known for his quick wit and repertoire of innuendoes. He plays a misbehaving vocational school student who enters the monkhood in the province, then arrives to learn dharma in Bangkok. There's not much of a story; like many Thai films on monks, this one is made up of strings of gags built upon the personality of the young, almost cool-looking monk and his encounter with society. One memorable scene has the monk address three busty models, their cleavages threatening to overflow, as he teaches them about proper conduct through wordplay and a mild hint of sexual tease. Otherwise, it's the two dek wat -- the monk's sidekicks -- who dish out the banter.
In the past 10 years, there have been many monk comedy films that have become major hits. It started with Luang Pee Teng in 2005, in which comedian Teng Terdterng plays a bumbling rascal who finds his calling as a monk. The film made a whopping 140 million baht, while Teng's style of deadpan comedy -- naturally a monk should stay straight-faced even when he delivers the punch line -- became the benchmark. The film spawned two sequels, the first featuring rapper Joey Boy in the lead role as a monk who peppers his sermon with hip hop verses. The next had Krissada Sukosol Clapp, a singer and actor, playing the monk.
Funny monks are a relatively new trend in Thai movies. In the 60s and 70s, monks in movies were always depicted as the ultimate moral force. They were the pillars in the village community; they mediate, end violence and find resolutions, they purge demons and restore order. In various versions of Mae Nak Phrakanong -- the legendary Thai ghost story -- a revered monk defeated the wrathful banshee and drove home the Buddhist/superstitious hegemony. In the film Pai Daeng (1979), adapted from MR Kukrit Pramoj's satirical novel, a monk debates communism with a man drawn toward the red.
In those old films, monks also offered humour, but not the absurd, farcical hilarity that we often see today in many monk movies. Rather, monks in old films had the personality of odd uncles and wise old men with an adorable eccentricity -- most famously in the Luang Ta (Grandfather Abbot) series from 1980, starring National Artist Lor Tok in the lead role. Usually, the narrative concerns a "temple boy" and the kind, funny abbot, a narrative that drew on the experience of many men in rural areas.
Still, the funny monks are here. As real monks are in the news for all the wrong reasons -- from power battles to money scandals -- maybe we just like watching cinematic monks doing humorous skits. What a relief.
