Beauty and the Bestie is a 2015 Philippine action comedy film.
In the film, Emman a secret agent seeks the help of Erika, his former friend to accomplish a top secret mission to avert World War III. Emman had to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the Prime Minister of Uzeklovakia and Erika had to pretend to be the Prime Minister's daughter who is supposed to compete as Ms. Uzeklovakia in an international pageant while Emman and his spy agency find the whereabouts of the kidnapped.
Beauty and the Bestie contains examples of the following tropes:
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: At one point Erika comically worries how the "film will not end"
- Beauty Contest: The Miss Uniworld pageant
- Bland-Name Product: Miss Uniworld again. The pageant's name seemed to be a combination of real-life Miss Universe and Miss World pageants.
- Covert Group: Elite Super Secret Task Force, the spy agency Emman works for.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Elite Super Secret Task Force briefs Emman that if the Prime Minister of Uzeklovakia learns that his daughter has been kidnapped while she is in the Philippines, Uzeklovakia may launch its nuclear weapons and turn the country into wasteland. Emman then says that the Uzeklovakian leader won't do that as long as his daughter is in the Philippines.
- Emergency Impersonation: Erika had to do this and impersonate Ms. Uzeklovakia who was kidnapped
- Fictional Country: Upanget, Ejeep, Trinidad and Benguet among others.
- Ruritania: Uzeklovakia is implied to be a country in the Balkans based on its name.
- The Generalissimo: The Uzeklovakian Prime Minister
- Identical Stranger: Erika and Ms. Uzeklovakia
- Literary Allusion Title: The film is obviously inspired from Beauty and the Beast
- Nepotism: When the Uzeklovakian Prime Minister announced that his country will participate in the Miss Universe pageant he announces that his daughter will be their country's representative to the pageant.
- Punny Name:
- The name of the antagonist, Daemon Yu which is a pun for "demonyo" a Tagalog term for devil.
- Same goes for the fictional countries mentioned in the movie:
- Upanget means "You ugly" in Tagalog
- Ejeep is a pun for "Egypt". Since Modern Times, electricy-powered jeepneys (E-jeeps) have gained some traction in the Philippines.
- Trinidad and Benguet is a pun for "Trinidad and Tobago". The name of the fictional country is a reference to the town of La Trinidad in the province of Benguet.
- This Page Will Self-Destruct: At the end of the film, Emman receives a call informing him of a secret mission in the country of Trinidad and Benguet. The caller then told Emman that the message will self-destruct prompting Emman to throw his phone which blew up.
- Weapon of Mass Destruction: Uzeklovakia was mentioned as being a nuclear weapon state.
- World War III: The heroes of the film successfully averts this.
