As tired as the idea of gender transformation is on the big screen, the trio of Samir, Shahir and Bahir still managed to make the movie theater ring with laughter in their newest box office hit Banat El ‘Am (The Cousins). Admittedly, I am that annoying person you find laughing their heart out when the rest of the audience is just giving the film a small complimentary chuckle; but luckily everyone else in the theater seemed to agree with my laughter this time around.

Ahmed Fahmy, Shiko and Hesham Magued — better known as the characters Samir, Shahir and Bahir from the hit movie of the same name — have teamed up with director Ahmed Samir Farag in their latest creation. Banat El ‘Am premiered January 27 and was widely pirated only two days following its release.

Much like their previous movies Samir, Shahir and Bahir and Waraket Shafra (A Code on Paper), Banat El ‘Am is a fantasy comedy about three cousins trying to sell their inherited cursed villa. The three female cousins and their grandmother are the only remaining heirs after the rest of the Shanab family was killed in a freak accident while trying to sell the cursed villa. With their money running out, the  girls decide to sell the house because the former owners, trying to break the curse, are willing to buy it back for a hefty sum. As soon as the contract is signed, however, the Shanab girls instantly turn into three men, and thus begin the belly laughs.

The characters were carefully thought out to each reflect a unique female character, and the audience is bound to relate to at least one of them. While Fahmy, Shiko and Magued are famed for their hilarious scriptwriting talents, these rising stars sure shone in their latest work, with their acting talents truly put to the test. Without fail, Fahmy Shiko and Magued excelled in their roles as women, proving to be multi-talented actors and writers.

The downside to the movie, however, was that the film lost its momentum. The plot thickened well in the first half and so did the laughs; but come the second half of the film, and I wasn’t falling off my seat laughing. Sure, I was chuckling every now and then, but the stars had built up the audience expectations so much that the second half was a bit of a disappointment. The Shanab cousins’ struggle to regain the house was also put off to the very last 15 minutes of the movie, while the first hour was dedicated to the comic situations the trio faced as women trapped in boys’ bodies. It was funny, yes, and I would definitely watch it again, but I can’t help but thinking the second half left us wanting more. It is just a tad bit like the Ramadan soap operas where we get so attached to the twisting plot until it is all resolved in the very last episode of the series.

The other downside for me was the recycled plot themes. The trio have impressive capabilities for making fun of famous movie scenes, and their sass and satire skills are impeccable; but the spirit of both Banat El ‘Am and Samir, Shahir and Bahir are very similar. Both movies tell the stories of people trapped either in other bodies or other times, and the films — spoiler alert — have, in essence, similar endings.

That said, the movie is still a breath of fresh air amongst the typical genres and comedy we see everyday, and the trio have yet again proved to be creative, talented and pretty funny.

Banat El ‘Am is the fourth acting and screenwriting collaboration for the comic trio, who take us back to the good old days of Tholathy Adwa’ El Masrah (The Stage Lights’ Trio) — George Sidhom, El Deif Ahmed and Samir Ghanem — minus the singing. In addition to the trio collaboration, Fahmy has also written Keda Reda for actor Ahmed Helmy, which received wide critical and popular success, and co-wrote H Dabbour for young actor Ahmed Mekky. Magued and Shiko are now working on El Ragol El Enab (The Grapevine Man). Farag has directed several hit movies, including Ezza’et Hob (The Love Radio) and Jouba. et