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There’s something about the recent barrage of locally made comedy films that is confusingly appealing. None of them are exactly great — or even good. Story lines follow the same course of oversimplified predictability; the humor is as lowbrow as can be and the production is so nondescript that one can’t be faulted for not even noticing who directed each film. Even the actors are drawn from the same group of clowns.

So why are moviegoers drawn to such a homogenized “Groundhog Day”? Well, it’s a matter of context. Apart from the rare cinematic achievement, the local cinema scene is generally a combination of ketchup-blood ghouls or controversial sex starlets. With such harrowing competition, the derivative comedy genre is the best thing local cinema has to offer right now.

Which is why “Ngebut Kawin” (which literally means “Speeding to Marry,” but perhaps “Hurrying to Marry” is a better translation) is an uninvited but welcome addition.

The story revolves around Ones (Ringgo Agus Rahman), a poor, illegal taxi driver with a positive outlook on life. Ones’ main goal in life is to keep his 100-year-old grandfather (Hengky Solaiman) happy. He buys him a Rp 2 million ($214) massage chair by borrowing money from a local crook named Bos Rambo (legendary comedian Boneng), who asks for a return of Rp 5 million.

Suffice to say, Ones is unable to pay his debt and gets into trouble with Bos Rambo, who threatens to confiscate Ones’ taxi.

Other complications arise along the way, including a passenger named Ningsih (Wiwid Gunawan) who asks Ones to drive her outside the city to her faraway home village for exactly Rp 5 Million. Ones, desperate for money, accepts but eventually learns that Ningsih is unable to pay her fare just yet.

“I’ve only got dollars,” she explains.

Not only is Ningsih now adding to Ones’ troubles, she also asks the taxi driver to play the part of her fiance while the two are in the village. The displays of affection are much to the chagrin of Cecep (Vincent Rompies) a long-time admirer of Ningsih.

“Ngebut Kawin” has a straightforward story that plays to its benefit. The plot is able to resolve itself satisfyingly with very few unnecessary add-ons, which tend to plague other comedies of this kind. The peripheral characters are kept to a minimum and the ones who do appear are funny and strong enough to push the story forward.

Ningsih is a cliched portrayal of a bubble-headed village girl, but Wiwid is able to help balance her human side with her comedic aspects, all without resorting to annoying idiocy.

Ningsih’s parents, portrayed by comedian Kadir and seasoned actress Ira Wibowo, are both believable as naive villagers, rough but kind-hearted.

Ringgo plays Ones as a goofy good-natured guy — essentially the TV actor’s celebrity persona — and is able to carry the movie with equal parts of humor and heart.

Cassandra Massardi’s script incorporates a welcome balance of humor that veers a bit too much toward slapstick, but thankfully retains some dramatic aspects.

The scene where Ones’ taxi breaks down and he gives Ningsih a piggyback ride all the way to her village is a testament to this. It adds depth to Ones’ character while also being funny.

Guntur Soeharjanto as director is unremarkable, but he gets the job done.

“Ngebut Kawin” is a nothing-to-lose but nothing-to-gain experience. It’s better than most of the other local films out right now, but it’s no masterpiece. It’s a movie to be watched on an empty weekend afternoon.