Weng Weng and Lola
FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY (1981) – Category: A neglected bad movie classic that deserves a Plan 9– sized cult following.
I’ve been delaying reviewing this hilariously bizarre film for years. It’s just so chock full of inane dialogue and WTF moments that it’s a challenge to write a review that isn’t novel-length.
For the essentials: this is a Philippine action movie starring the midget novelty celebrity named Weng Weng as Secret Agent OO (yes, Double O). It sounds like a comedy but what makes it great is that IT’S NOT! It’s played seriously and features Weng Weng using firearms and fancy gadgets like James Bond, engaging in martial arts fights like Bruce Lee, drooling over regular-sized women like Herve Villaichez, sword- fighting as skillfully as Zatoichi and sporting a poorly- concealed bald spot like Ryen Russillo.
Weng Weng works for an outfit called simply “The Secret Agency”, so I’m guessing it’s one of those generic intelligence services that is MUCH cheaper than name brands. Hell, the head of the organization even tells Weng Weng during a briefing that “money is tight”, which may be why he multi-tasks, serving as both the M who gives Double O his assignments AND the Q who outfits him with his fancy gadgets like a ring that detects poison, a remote controlled flying hat with razor- sharp rims a la Oddjob and a pair of X-ray glasses that Weng Weng uses to ogle the steno pool at “The Secret Agency”. Before politically correct wimps start whining I’ll point out that our hero also gets treated to the unwelcome sight of naked gunmen waiting in ambush when the glasses see through BOTH his hotel room walls AND the clothing of the concealed gunsels.
“Well, it’s been 20 minutes ladies … let’s do it again!”
The movie opens with the studly Weng Weng hanging out at poolside with a pair of well- loved regular- sized women. We follow him to his briefing from “The Colonel”, who is dubbed into English in very odd, short sentences that make this briefing a continuous laugh riot. (I guess his motto is “Odd, short sentences for an odd, short agent.” ) Double O is being dispatched to deal with a criminal outfit led by the sinister … Mr Giant. No, not Mr Big, Mr Giant, in what may just be an awkward error in translating this flick from the original Tagalog.
Mr Giant runs a syndicate that has just kidnapped the scientist Doctor Von Kohler to try to get the secret of his new invention “the M bomb”. His syndicate also robs gold and silver mines and as an added bonus sells drugs on the side. The organization conceals the drugs in sugar- bread and, hilariously enough, sells them exclusively to children. One of the syndicate’s officers, called Jack, who looks like Redd Foxx as Fred G Sanford on Sanford and Son, brags about how his minions sell drugs “at every kindergarten and sandbox in the country.” Wow! This outfit must be ROLLING in skateboards and yo-yo’s from jonesing pre-schoolers.
“Fred G Sanford, and the G stands for “getting kids hooked on drugs!”
The movie proceeds as a series of random events piled on top of each other, with barely any attempt at telling a coherent story. Action scenes are followed by romantic scenes of Weng Weng charming the pants off of every woman he meets. Those romantic rendezvous are followed by exposition scenes in which our hero gets a new lead on the evil syndicate he’s after and those scenes are followed by more action scenes and so on, over and over again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Other things to love in this offbeat honey of a movie include:
*** Weng Weng’s DRASTIC over-reliance on kicking and punching his opponents in the groin. Seriously, there are groin-kicking fetish videos out there that don’t feature this much groin-kicking.
*** Chase scenes with our hero running while holding hands with whichever hot woman he has just been with. These scenes make him look like a little boy and his mother racing to the boy’s piano lesson or something.
*** The way our villains seem to have budget problems of their own. The bad guys often pursue Weng Weng and his female colleagues in a Volkswagen Beetle. I’m serious.
*** Anna, a prostitute who helps Double O at one point, is dubbed by a British woman who sounds like Queenie from Blackadder II.
*** The playful way our hero hops and skips over the dead bodies of his fallen foemen in some of the fight scenes.
*** The scene where Weng Weng escapes the baddies by leaping from a high-rise building while using an umbrella as a parachute.
*** The horrific site of Double O’s very odd nipples in his various shirtless scenes.
*** The fact that one of the movie’s hotties, named Marilyn, is a police photographer who openly moonlights as a porno photographer for the evil syndicate. I guess police in the Philippines are much more understanding than ours would be about such a conflict of interest. (When Marilyn discusses her side job with Weng Weng his only reply is a Sinatra- esque “I’m hip.”)
*** The way the mysterious Mr Giant’s voice sounds like Harvey Korman as the Great Gazoo.
*** The sight of sunlight reflecting off the VERY obvious wires transporting Weng Weng across the sky when he is supposedly flying via his Bond-style jet pack.
*** The enormous number of dead bodies that accumulate in all of the action scenes. Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers only WISH they could kill this many people.
Weng Weng standing back to butt with a fellow agent.
Eventually, the bad guys wise up to the traitor in their midst – Irma, an undercover female operative of The Secret Agency. They do this when she stupidly blows her cover BY PUBLICLY DANCING AND CAROUSING WITH WENG WENG AT A MANILA DISCO! The bad guys are so stupid it has taken TWO such incidents for them to finally imprison Irma with Dr Von Kohler. (Did you forget about him? Don’t worry about it. The movie forgets about him, too, for about two-thirds of its runtime.)
Double O smokes out the location of Mr Giant’s headquarters, a hidden island in the Philippine archipelago aptly named “Hidden Island”. The little guy leads a raid on that Island in the action- packed finale, frees Dr Von Kohler and Irma and goes mano-a- mano with Mr Giant, who, to the surprise of nobody, turns out to be a midget like Weng Weng. The bad guys are gunned down by the dozens during the raid but one of them kills Irma at the end of the flick. The final scene shows a morose Double O visiting her grave. Man, can that little guy emote!
You could write a 4,000 word article covering JUST the strange dialogue in this unforgettable mess. Here are some highlights:
The evil Jack chewing out an underling: “Don’t be a nosy parker, Paco!”
Jack complaining about Weng Weng’s interference with the syndicate’s nefarious schemes: “He’s made a monkey out of the forces of evil!” (I want that on my tombstone)
Jack getting serious about killing Double O: “We’re declaring war on that little stinker!” Picture Blofeld saying that about James Bond in one of the Connery movies.
The villainous Mr Kaiser realizing that undercover agent Irma’s necklace is a secret transmitter: ” So THIS is how you communicate with your little Weng Weng!” ( I would die of embarrassment if he learned how I communicate with MY little Weng Weng. )
The helpful prostitute Anna’s bizarre comments during make-out scenes with our diminutive stud: ” You’re very petite, like a potato.” (?) … “Are you a sexual animal?” … “Sex is like tequila … one sip and you’re gone.” … “Bare your bod.” … “I’m crazy about you. Why, I don’t know.” (Insert your own joke here.)
Weng Weng ( real name Ernesto de la Cruz) became a big star in the Philippines after this flick came out, appearing in everything from westerns to comedies to Double O sequels. He starred in at least 11 movies, sang karaoke with First Lady Imelda Marcos, and was made a Special Agent of the Philippine Nation by her husband Ferdinand. Elvis, eat your heart out!
FOR MORE BAD MOVIES SEE MY BAD MOVIE PAGE – CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/bad-movies/
© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Balladeer, you have outdone yourself this time! This is incredibly funny!
Thank you for saying so!
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Really funny review!
Thank you!!
Exceptionally funny review! Did you know imdb links to you as an external review for movies like New Year’s Evil?
Thank you! I just found out recently!
Hilarious, simply hilarious! jonesing preschoolers
Ha! Thanks!
omg u find and review the strangest movies! These reviews r so funny!
Thank you on all counts!
Please tell us ur going 2 rivu the other Weng Weng movies!
Ha! Well, maybe!
lol I have got to see this thing now!
I hope you get a laugh out of it!!!!!
This was ur funniest review since The Newlydeads!
Ha! Thanks !
Hilarious as always, Balladeer! The bad movies u look at r always so crazy!
Thank you very much for this nice comment!
rotfl u r so funny with these reviews! This is my favorite so far.
Well, thank you very much!
Unbelievable! I would think this was a fake movie if not for the even stranger ones you have reviewed.
Ha! Thank you!
This is a really funny review! u shud rivu all the Wengweng movies.
Maybe I will eventually!
U need to get ur own youtube channel for these reviews!
Maybe I will! I never thought I’d write a blog either!
Unbelievably funny review. What a creepy bad movie.
Thank you very much! It is very strange!
Weird but great! I got to see this movie now!
I hope you enjoy it!
Enjoyed this review, but not as much as ur horror film reviews.
Thanks! My usual October orgy of horror film reviews begins this coming week!
Enormously funny! The quotes from the movie killed me 2!
I appreciate the kind words!
Classic! u r funnier than that loser Mike Nelson any day!
Thanks for commenting!
ur movie reviews make me want to marry u! Does that make sense?
As much sense as a movie about a midget spy does I guess.
Love this review! U make me laugh so hard!
Thank you very much!!! I appreciate it!
Utterly hysterical from start to finish! Who but you could make a midget sex movie so much fun?
Why thank you very much!
Loving ur movie reviews! u may make me a fan of Greek comedies 2!
Thank you for sayin g so!
U r so funny with these movie reviews! i’d put u up there with Rich Koz, the man who Mike Nelson will NEVER be no matter how hard he tries!
I appreciate the nice thought! Koz is the man when it comes to movie hosting!
I luv ur witty film rivus!
Thank. you very much!
u make me laugh so hard with these reviews! a sense of humor is so sexy!
Thank you for such nice comments!
Midget spies and deaf vampires and killer beds! This blog is my favorite site on the web!
Thanks! You’re making me blush!
I love all the things you cover here but the bad movie reviews are my favorite!
…..That is nice of you! Thanks!
Unbelievably funny review! This movie sounds so weird!
It is, thanks!
I’m sending this midget spy review to my friends!
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Fabulous review! So funny! Imagine singing karoake with Imelda Marcos
Ha! I know waht you mean!
Weng Weng deserves a star on the Hollywood walk of fame! Midget spy!
Ha! Thanks for commenting!
Informative and funny! This little guy had quite a career!
He sure did!
Classic review, dude!
Ha! Thank you!
Yes! So funny and so odd. A midget secret agent!
Thank you very much for commenting!
An impressive review of a very strange film! luv ur sense of humor!
Thank you very much for saying so!
Hilarious as always! Never knew so many weird movies were out there!
Thanks very much!
Salud, dude, 4 this awesome review of this wenweng flick!
Thanks, paisan!
Your sense of humor is so sexy and I really enjoy all your movie and politics and mythology articles!
Well, thanks very much!
Your reviews are always so enjoyable!
Ha! Thank you! ^^
I loved this review and I have got 2 c this flick now!
Thanks! I hope you get the chance to ! ^
So incredibly funny! ur reviews r my favorite!
Ha! Thanks ^^^
Very nice and very funny! Got to find this little guys movies now!
Thanks very ^^ much!
2 damn funny! Ur reviews r the best!
Thank you very much^^
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Thanks
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Weng Weng should be brought back as a cartoon character.
That might be a first!
Weng weng has a way with the ladies.
Ha! You said it!
I could not stop laughing! Excellent review!
Ha! Thank you!
Weng Weng is still a better spy than John Brennan.
Ha! Who isn’t a better ANYTHING than CIA scum like John Brennan?