Chito Rono's "The Trial" - Riveting Cinema

Ronald Jimenez (John Lloyd Cruz) is 27 going 13; mentally that is. But he is about to graduate seventh grade. Helping him catch up with school work is Bessy Buenaventura (Jessy Mendiola), his kind-hearted teacher and the school president’s niece.

Though Ronald is “developmentally delayed”, his functionality approaches “borderline normal”. Still slower than most, he is able to perform tasks and function like most people. In fact, he's a brilliant gardener in school where he works part-time in exchange of his admission. Back home, he lives with lesbian “father” Santi (Sylvia Sanchez) and cross-dressing “mother” Nando (Vince de Jesus), his biological parents. He is surrounded by the oddball horde who populates the comedy bar where his parents work.

Meanwhile, grief palpably percolates in the Bien household still reeling from the death of son Martin (Enrique Gil) who perished in a vehicular accident. It has been a year since but Amanda (Gretchen Barretto) is still wrapped in her own guilt and loss that she is unable to move on.

Hubby Julian (Richard Gomez) just wants to start anew so he wants their marriage annulled. To facilitate this, he has decided to sell their house, an idea that Amanda resists, “Ayokong makalimutan si Martin.” But a sensational rape case sweeps the Biens out of their own misery.

When a rape video involving Ronald and his teacher Bessy goes viral, Amanda gets asked by her friend Lallie Laperal (Vivian Velez) to help out. Amanda is, after all, Bessy’s godmother. Meanwhile, Santi and Nando pursue Julian to handle Ronald’s case. Unknown to the grieving couple, Ronald was Martin’s good friend when he was still hosting his Payatas feeding program. Ronald is even privy to some of the Bien’s internal dispute, not the least of which is Julian’s past infidelity.

To honor the memory of her son, Amanda convinces Julian to the take the case in exchange of her signing the annulment paper. Julian can only acquiesce. What happens to Bessy?  Did Ronald, who regularly watches porn videos borrowed from a friend, force himself on the only lady who’s shown him affection? Did he have violent streaks? The video (which shows Bessy parrying Ronalds’ advances) doesn't lie, does it? How can Bessy’s shouts (“Tama na, Ronald!”) be indicative of anything but rape?

As legal dramas go, Chito Rono's "The Trial" examines a world of flawed characters and dysfunctional families navigating a consciously litigious and supercilious society. It isn't easy to second guess its narrative trail. The story telling, from Enrico Santos and Kriz Gazmen’s script, is quite fluid. The build up towards the climax engages the viewer into one resolute viewing. As audience, you’re transfixed on your seat, with bated breath, while the plot gradually unravels into one suspenseful denouement.  Mainstream drama has never been this riveting.  

“The Trial”, inspired by a script originally written by Ricky Lee, is a pondering on intents and actions, of causes and effects, and how perception of truth is easily carved by man’s idea of what normal or abnormal is. In so many ways, our existence is defined by these scruples. Moreover, we’re made to scrutinize how some people face bereavement, palpably depicted in extreme contrast by Amanda and Julian’s behavior towards each other.

Grief is dealt with in different ways; some more destructive than others. The past, just like history, has its own relevance, as when Julian watches random videos of his family prior to the accident – quite wistfully gripping in its laidback demeanour. Looking back allows us to see how far we’ve strayed from our intended paths. I realize that there are situations far more devastating than the actual tragedy.

The movie romps away with superlative performances. Gretchen Barretto unexpectedly scintillates with devastating sincerity. In a role that’s conveniently a claptrap for overzealous sentimentality, Barretto is an enthralling study of thespic authority. You could feel her pain in every scene. When she finally runs after Ronald and remembers a similar incident involving her son, it becomes one of the most heart breaking scenes I've had to endure at the cinema this year. Suddenly you realize that it was Amanda’s moment of closure. If cinema were meant to move people like that, then you know it has served its purpose well.

Vince de Jesus, as gender-bending Nando, beautifully delivers a performance that shall define his acting career from here on. In fact, his scenes are high-wire acts, vacillating between comic and poignant (e.g. his valedictory scene with John Lloyd during their victory party). One of my favourite scenes involves Sylvia Sanchez as she recalls how Ronald was once bullied ("ang pula ng siopao"), ending up with blood on his forehead. This would be Sanchez’s most memorable, if uneven, turn as an actress. Unfortunately, her other scenes needed a bit of restraint because wrath or disappointment isn’t essentially realized by sheer auditory volume or nerve-popping histrionics. People don't always shout when hurt.

We’ve always thought of Jessy Mandiola as an adorable but bland pretty face. “Call Center Girl”, anyone? But not anymore. With this star turn, Mendiola is on her way to joining Star Cinema’s stellar league of A-list dramatic actresses (Bea Alonzo, Erich Gonzales, Angelica Panganiban, Iza Calzado, Maja Salvador) as she bowls us over with quiet power in "The Trial". 

Despite brevity of scenes (she is actually not seen in almost a third of the movie), her presence lingers in your head. 

There are several worth mentioning where she displays cinematic brilliance: her reaction after failing to answer a student’s question (about the difference between genetic drift and random mutation) while being observed by a CHED supervisor. Her deceptively “ordinary” scenes with her abusive boyfriend Benjamin Alves were likewise affecting. After all, what is there to fight for when someone you love has seen through your self-worth. Then there’s the scene when she tells Ronald, “Ikaw ang pinakamabait kong kaibigan sa buong mundo.” Mendiola, I suspect, is still evolving in her craft. Isn't that exciting for someone who’s a relative upstart in the business?

John Lloyd Cruz is a virtual force of nature. He inhabits Ronald Jimenez with fierce earnestness, it’s hard to presuppose his performance the way we can’t second guess persons with intellectual crutches. He is never predictable. Cruz, in attacking a character, combines intellect and intuition, and he’s quite consistent in it. His exquisite command of craft is evident in several scenes, like when he tells his teacher, “Ma’am Bessy, di ka naman okay, eh.” Or when he asks Gretchen how Martin’s younger brother isn’t Amanda’s son: "Paano nangyari yun?". Or when he realizes what Amanda’s asking, “Sikreto nga eh. Akala mo ha?” This list is long – and is thus proof of Cruz’s enviable commitment to his character.  

RESERVATION

We do have reservation about Vivian Velez’s character. She may have valid concerns, but she is compromised by a black-and-white characterization. “Punch line of the academic community?” Don't we just love hyperbole?

“The Trial” compels its viewers to sit back, if a tad uncomfortably, for an engaging narrative ride. It doesn’t allow passive spectatorship. You couldn’t help but dissect the motives presented by its characters – from Ronald to Bessy; from the grieving household of the Biens to the dysfunctional family of Santi and Nando Jimenez. You even find yourself examining Lallie Laperal’s motives – or her lawyer’s “too involved” attitude. With its mellifluous plot unraveling before your very eyes, you expect one perfect story, right? Or was it?

For the sake of discussion, allow me to nitpick. Bessy’s own intellectual inadequacy is so subtly suggested that we actually believe her predicament, i.e. that she’s also “slow”. Being that way, such individuals don’t briskly form conclusions or react with proficient problem-solving skill. In the scene where Ronald and Bessy engage in sex, when Bessy saw a phone filming their liaison, she immediately “concocts” a scenario that would make her look like the victim (thus her repeated cries, “Tama na, Ronald.”) This reaction seems incongruent to that of a slow mind. Lesser mortals would just scoot, skedaddle and hide, not engage in improvisational dramatics. Did she actually anticipate a litigious scenario to unravel as a result of their indiscretion? She isn’t all that slow, is she? 

In another scene where Julian discusses his strategy to save Ronald from imminent incarceration, Sylvia Sanchez’s undue wrath seemed too extreme – her vocal histrionics almost dug a hole in my tympanic membrane. After all, she was talking to an illustrious lawyer who’s had years of experience - and who had to be pursued to take the case. You’d think she’d be circumspect dealing with someone who agreed to help – instead she flew off the handle! Who cared if their family would look eccentric before the court? Eccentricity won’t send them to jail. Wasn’t their goal saving Ronald at all cost?  

THE SLAPPING LAWYER

Now let’s discuss my "favorite" part. Attorney Patricia Celis, portrayed by the usually brilliant Isay Alvarez, meets Amanda for the first time. The lawyer carries undue vitriol, regarding Amanda with absolute acrimony. She's haughty and morose. You would think that Atty. Celis has a personal stake on the case. You’d likewise mistake her as the aggrieved party. As counsellor, wasn’t she supposed to approach the case with sobriety and rational savvy? Which lawyer involves herself in a slapping incident with a would-be witness? Talk about misplaced theatrics. But then Alvarez is a luminary in Philippine theater. How very apropos.

As for the scene where Ronald finally takes the witness stand, was Bessy’s admission from the audience gallery even admissible in court? (She was asked if Ronald’s confessions were true.) Shouldn’t she take an oath first – that she’s telling the truth and nothing but – before anything she divulges would actually amount to much under the court of law? What’s the judge doing while this drama was happening? Cogitating on her morning bowel movement? Was she dozing off? You see, more credible admissions have been deemed inadmissible under the wrong platform. How different is this?

The film boasts of a hundred and one messages that make us think. That misunderstandings don’t exactly define a bad relationship. That a person could be worth our affection despite his inadequacies. And so on. This much is true – “The Trial” deserves to be seen by anyone who claims to love good movies.

John Lloyd Cruz

Jessy Mendiola

Benjamin Alvez joining his Tito Piolo in ABS-CBN?

Enrique Gil

Olivia Lamasan's The Mistress - Morality Tales

For five years, Sari’s (Bea Alonzo) life has revolved around her burgeoning extended family and her special Thursdays. She works as the master cutter of a popular tailoring shop. She’s contented and has sought for nothing more than the needs of her family. One day, JD (John Lloyd Cruz), an architect, finds her in a bookstore. Her serene presence so enraptured him that he decides to pursue her despite her snide brush off: “Hindi lahat ng gusto mo, makukuha mo.” There’s more to Sari’s dismissal than meets the eye. After all, their attraction to each other is palpable. Why does she avoid him?

But fate is a precarious adversary. JD finds Sari working for a client he’ll be working for in the next few months – to renovate the tailoring shop’s working space. As he openly pursues Sari, it soon becomes clear that the impediment has something to do with Sari’s Thursdays, a day she gets off work, visits a two-story duplex where she stays for the next 24 hours, gets dolled up, and satisfies her “duty” as the mistress to an elder, albeit married gentleman named Rico (Ronaldo Valdez). Though this arrangement seems impassioned, Sari soon unravels to JD that she’s paying debt of gratitude for help that was once extended to her demented Lola Lina (Anita Linda) and Sari's struggling family.

What JD doesn’t know: this gentleman happens to be his father Frederico Torres, owner and CEO of a financially lucrative telecom firm; a father he doesn’t quite see eye to eye with; a husband who constantly strays, to the consternation of Regina (Hilda Koronel), his wife and JD’s constantly forgiving mother. She knows about her husband’s affair, but she is constantly reminded about her previous indiscretion; one that bore a child – Eric Torres aka JD. Eric is subtly admonished everyday for his mother’s “sins”, thus he maintains a sour relationship with the man who took Eric for his own son. After the death of an elder son, Rico needs Eric as his deputy C.E.O., a job that Eric resists with a passion.

While Eric deals with familial strife, Sari is more and more torn between JD’s diligent pursuit and Rico’s suddenly acquisitive streaks (he now requires other days outside Thursdays), unaware that JD is his son. “I realized I can’t share you with another man,” Rico tells Sari. Is there hope for our star-crossed lovers?

Director Olivia Lamasan carefully weaves a story that curiously validates an extra-marital dilemma, and she does this quite compellingly. The script is riddled with cryptic or humorous lines that would intermittently have you tapping with glee: “Bukas uulan, makukuha ko ang gusto ko.” Huh? Aren’t we trespassing Cathy Garcia-Molina’s territory?

Hilda Koronel’s drunken scene should be made a Gold Standard for actors: “Thursday, the one day of the week that makes me want to regret everything. Every fucking Thursday; every Thursday fucking.” Koronel delivers this line without florid sentimentality, her voice dipping low, turning almost inaudible, but you sense her grief. Clearly, there is no one like Hilda Koronel, the film’s most underused character. I love the way she speaks her English – and this is the “Filipino English” that I always mention here. She’s lived in the U.S. for years yet you never hear her deliver those phony accents heard from the likes of Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, John Arcilla, Cesar Montano, et.al. (Unfortunately, the list is growing.) You even hear Piolo lose his “rolled R”, badly monkeying how the Brits do it. Take it from La Koronel! Now that’s classy Pinoy English: clear, emphatic, and devoid of spine-tingling Middle Earth “security guard” accents. Right, Mr. Arcilla?

When Koronel asks: “Why is he doing this to me, son? I love him,” you understand the gravity of her misery. Even her less emotive lines are a joy to hear: “Why do I only see you during National holidays? I miss you, son. I hardly see you.” Even gag-inducing lines (“I hate you. I hate you because I cannot hate you”) turn into cinematic magic. There’s more: “As long as I’m alive, you will never be promoted to wife.” Why are we denied Koronel’s sophistication and brilliance? We need to see her more often. She can teach many new stars a thing or two about grace and thespic grit. 

The situations in Lamasan’s “The Mistress” are, of course, apocryphal. After all, you don’t always want to sympathize with someone who entertains the advances of a married man, yet Bea Alonzo imbues her character with adequate sympathy, we might as well make a saint out of her. How can she love someone who imposes himself on her; someone who tells her which slinky dress to wear for a dinner out? You have to admit, she looked like a tramp in her back-baring “suman” dress, debah?

Bea Alonzo, still the most gifted actress of her generation, delectably inhabits Sari with a highly nuanced turn. Her instincts are so fine tuned she never misses a step. The same can be said about John Lloyd Cruz who’s as conflicted about his familial status as he is of his relationship with Sari. Cruz, in fact, seems to be walking in the park. Cruz shines in silent moments: “Ang daming dahilan para hindi kita mahalin. Kung bakit di ko magawa, kasi mahal kita.” He switches tantrums with finger-snapping precision. And if there’s one thing evident about this film, it’s the prevalence of “mood swings”. They’re amorous one moment; surly the next.

Ronaldo Valdez makes a career-best performance as he depicts Frederico, the man who wants to have his cake and eat it too. His emotive cadences are spectacular, e.g. his argument with John Lloyd at the office. One moment he tells his son that he needs him (“Anong gusto mo, luluhod ako sa harap mo para pumayag ka?”), then he tells Eric how he owes the company his attention. Even when he drops emotionally charged lines (“Ano’ng karapatan mo, Sari? Kerida lang kita!”), you don’t feel the mawkishness of the scene. My favorite scene with Ronaldo was his conversation with Eric at his hospital bed: “When I saw you with your big round eyes, I knew you were mine. That’s why I gave you my name.” I had to moderate my emotions to avoid making a fool of myself inside the theater.

"But I'm still fucking choose to stay!" Ano daw?

WEAK PARTS

Some characters, like Anita Linda’s Lola Lina, are a tad too familiar and showy. If you remember Coco Martin’s “Santa Nina” (opening in commercial cinemas this week), this was a similar character (the dementedly verbose and Alzheimer-stricken old woman) transported to a different movie. But wait? Isn’t she the same “Lola Miling” in Chito Rono and Sharon Cuneta’s “Caregiver” (2008)? Sometimes, that’s the trouble in using trite characters just to populate their narrative world. Writers forget. Carmi Martin, playing Bea’s mother, also sticks out like a sore thumb. Moreover, didn’t they realize that Sari is gone every Thursday? Wasn’t her weekly disappearance a cause of concern for them? If Sari was indeed the tailoring’s best cutter, why was she open target for the cantankerous Mr. Zarate (Gabe Mercado)? In fact, Zarate’s ire was a valid reason to get mad (Sari used cotton instead of pina for Zarate’s barong). If you’re a great seamstress, you don’t mistake your pinias from your cotton linens, do you?

“The Mistress” employs a narrative course that’s almost emotionally Machiavellian. Lamasan mostly succeeds in this aspect. But the veracity of emotions is, no doubt, buoyed by the film’s laudable four-way lead! The lingering music is effective in hauling out emotions, but it’s a stroke of inspiration making use of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” to anchor Sari and Eric’s predicament.  “If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me? And just forget the world?” Some obstacles can overwhelm human emotions. Isn’t that sad?   

Regina hates Thursdays.

Attending a wedding at the Callao Cave up north.

Anita Linda does another demented Lola in "The Mistress", a role similar to her characters in "Caregiver" and "Santa Nina". While she is undoubtedly brilliant, one doesn't get high points for repeating ones self. 

Unofficially Yours - Quandaries of Falling in Love

After an anonymous sexual rendezvous at the beach, a couple fortuitously meets again as work colleagues in a newspaper company. Cess (Angel Locsin) is a zealous writer for her paper’s lifestyle section. Macky (John Lloyd Cruz) is a dentist who’s pursuing a different career trajectory – he wants to become a writer. As fate would have it, Macky becomes Cess’ writing protégé! Unfortunately, the dismissive Cess makes it clear their concupiscent rendezvous was nothing but an uncomplicated lay in the hay, strictly with no strings attached. Macky is disconsolate because he wants more from her. In fact, he couldn’t get Cess off his mind since the day she surreptitiously left without a word.

Though work constantly throws them in each others’ company, it becomes clear that their attraction wasn’t a fleeting circumstance. And they continuously end up sharing their beds, in a frivolously and savagely passionate affair. “Malabo ba yung tayo?” Cess would ask Macky, just to underline the noncommittal state of their relationship. What’s a guy do if all a girl wants is his sexual stamina? Would he deny her sexual advances? And why is she being emotionally elusive?

Director Cathy Garcia-Molina goes for the romantic jugular to weave the tale of Macky and Cess caught in the quagmire of their romantic past. It becomes a dilemma when physical coupling spills on their agreed emotional boundaries. And the only other way from there is to commit, something that Cess isn't willing to do. We later learn the reason behind her apprehensions; turned out it was a valid excuse to get twice shy about a commitment.

MAGIC

John Lloyd Cruz and Angel Locsin candidly depict what could have been prosaic characters running on hackneyed plot, but their kinship has evolved into a cinematic partnership that translates into something akin to magic - on screen. It's such a sedulous connection; this credibility never wavers despite the peppering of a multitude of contrivances designed to concoct a brew not dissimilar to "My Cactus Heart". Wasn't the latter also about a commitment-shy heroine?

Cruz and Locsin scorch the screen as they parry the blows of an impending emotional avalanche; one that they'd have to directly face - sooner or later. Locsin has transformed into a very confident actress. Her wanton disregard of vanity is contributory to this, thus she's able to plummet into unflattering expressions that would seem silly on other less insightful actresses. These made her more captivating. But then, that's easy when you're an exceptional beauty, isn't it? :)

MEANT

The rest of the charming cast provides more than adequate distractions complementary to the protagonists' story. Tetchie Agbayani, playing Angel's eternally hopeful mother, is particularly winsome. Her scene with Angel at the kitchen was memorable. Cess asked her mom: "Ba't parang di ka nagsasawang masaktan?" She replied: "Hindi lang ako napapagod magmahal. Pwede naman akong magpahinga sandali. Kung hindi, paano ko makikilala kung meron mang nakalaang magmamahal ng tunay?" These lines could have easily turned mawkish; instead, they were breezy, but nonetheless decisive and sincere. Her sentiment warrants attention - and introspection.

QUIBBLES

The film also has obvious careless (and imagined) details that needed remedial measures: Journalists fumbling around the frenzied press room in 3-inch heels? Seriously? Ouch! Then there's the oversight about Macky's Dental Education - where? University of Santo Tomas! While it was indeed established in 1904, it has since been abolished. The last dental graduates have probably set sail with Limahong to rediscover the Spice Island. Where then did Macky finish his dental education? Then there's the on-the-job "writing" tutorial. Such active coaching really occurs in a hectic work place like the Manila Bulletin? Kinda like medical interns and clerks "training" in hospitals? Highly unlikely. No wonder no one reads them :) Oops!

Once a newspaper takes you in, you've already developed a style; the same style responsible for getting you "in". No one's there to laboriously teach you technique! The mechanics of an interview isn't learned in the press room, that's for sure! But these are quibbles easy to disregard, simply because the story becomes real; it comes alive right before our eyes.

OBSERVATIONS

Now that I've mentioned Cruz's thespic gifts, let me zero in on a few minor distractions. John Lloyd Cruz should start doing something about his unsightly bulges soon! He has "man boobs" (as well as a distended and flabby abdomen) and he isn't even 30 yet! It's unbecoming to be a romantic lead and have Sharon Cuneta's lipid excrescences. Has he given birth? What's his excuse for his pudginess? Romantic leads should fulfill a certain physical criteria because it's part of his trade to look physically fit! Furthermore, seeing him walk around sockless is cringe-worthy! Sooner or later, this unhygienic habit becomes an olfactory nightmare.

BEDAZZLED

Finally, Garcia-Molina has mastered the art of romantic bedazzlement. She relishes her narrative condiment with giggle-worthy lines (On not falling in love: "Huwag kang mag alala, di kita pipilitin!"); quirky characters (Macky's roommates, Macky's exceedingly healthy family, Cess' nosy workmates) and songs that make your heart flutter (Janno Gibbs' "Binibini", VST & Company's "Ikaw Ang Aking Mahal", Eric Santos & Angeline Quinto's "If You Asked Me To"). Sometime before the story folds, a musical duet ensues - complete with doo-wopping back-up singers. Now, that's unabashed romanticizing! Heck, even the third wheel, Vincent Villegas (played by the radiant Patrick Garcia) is swoon worthy!

I tried not to swoon. But I couldn't help myself smile!

Going Cuckoo with Bea Alonzo in "Miss You Like Crazy"

"Crazy" - that's what suddenly comes to mind when you consider all the hallmarks that characterize Mia Samonte played by Bea Alonzo in Cathy Garcia-Molina's "Miss You Like Crazy". Or is the title really a subtext to going bonkers in the process of falling in love?

For what would you call someone who carries rocks in her shoulder bag for the sake of self expression? It doesn't matter that your grandma in her moments of lucidity suggested it once. Paper is a more acceptable option. Or ringing your friends for a chat. Or painting. Or blogging.

Self expression can't be expressed enough on the limited space of a rough stone! Moreover, you shall grow unsightly muscles, lugging stones around. Then you write distressing phrases like "Goodbye, World!" on them - leaving them on public chairs for everyone to see. In clinical psychology, it's as clear as a cloudless sky that she is "crying for help"! She is suicidal! Fast - she needs psychiatric attention! Moreover, she calls people around with names culled from the 12 months of the year. Whoever thought that was remotely funny should be lobotomized! Sure, it may start a trend - people writing on stones as opposed to buying feather-weight paper sheets. It may start a trend too that shall promote a muscle-building literacy; the cumulative effect of picking up stones. It is after all a calorie-burning exercise!

What if you needed to express a complicated situation that requires heaps of paragraphs? Then you would need a truckload of stones delivered to your house? The same house where your catatonic father rests! I am telling you. Writing on stones isn't a good idea! Besides, it's much cheaper to buy a pen and a paper than buying a single pentel pen that should cost you not less than 50 bucks!

My point here is, besides its being mere cinematic, writing on stones has limited appeal, not to mention the glaring fact that it is a product of desperate minds seeking original concepts for would-be romantic blockbusters! Who in their right mind would turn to rocks as a source of romantic inspiration?

I am mortified by lunatics! Fine, it's not even politically correct to mention the "L" word but I am honestly unnerved by them - that doesn't bode well when you're sitting inside a cold dark cinema, building great thoughts about a romantic character like Mia Samonte! You have the sinking feeling of being in the wrong cinema. Is this the romantic comedy that I thought I was watching? Or that other film dealing with major depression, multiple personalities and schizophrenia? Baka "Ligalig part 2"? LOL. Having said that, for the very first time, Bea Alonzo has disappointed me in a movie that's not altogether bad, but teeters with an insufficient inspiration!

That Kris Aquino, the newly proclaimed queen of the hard-sell endorses the film - "that scene at the restaurant" and how it deeply affected her - even before she saw the movie speaks of how drudgingly gullible and simple-minded Miss Aquino is. Who would believe her the next time she tells her public she is hurt by her husband's indiscretions when a mere scene at a restaurant "affects her so"? Try again, your royal highness of all-media!

After a seemingly harmless flirtation at a ferry ride and all over Divisoria, Mia (Bea Alonzo) and Allan (John Lloyd Cruz) become kindred spirits who find happiness with each other. But when Mia learns of Allan's committed relationship with Daphne (Maricar Reyes), she still decides to sleep with him before breaking up with him the next day. Then with a mere stone with "Mahal kita" written on it as his conciliatory gift, she accepts him back, not knowing that he would once again change his mind, like the spineless cuckoo-baiting scum that Allan really is. It is a see-saw predicament that confuses its audience more!

If anyone's ever lied to me, there are certain ground rules that should be observed: 1. I won't sleep with the lying scum; 2. a stone is an unacceptable conciliatory gift (cheap huh) - unless we're talking about those that carry 5-karats of loving; 3. he shall attain my wrath with a stone conveniently tapped against his dumb skull! 4. If I were to choose between a chauffeur-riding cutie like Hans Isaac - and a timorous cheat with questionable corporate credentials like Allan Alvarez, the choice should be a no-brainer, even to the no brains who shriek at highly maneuvered romcoms like this.

And I always though Star Cinema had a battery of the brightest thinktanks around. Apparently not.

Or they've been deceived!

very special

Who would have thought!

Here's the pitch. Laida (Sarah Geronimo) finally lands a job as an editorial assistant at a troubled men's magazine. Whaddaya know, her boss is grumpy cutie Miguel (John Lloyd Cruz), whose cut-outs and posters grace every available space in Laida's bedroom. Grumpy cutie meets bubbly lovelorn Laida. Will she be able to tame her grouchy paramour? Raise your hand for the affirmative. Otherwise, you deserve to jump off Mandaluyong Bridge right down to the brackish Pasig River. It's as predictable as the succeeding letters of the alphabet. That is, unless you are illiterate.

But for all its embarassing predictability, the almost-nonexistent chemistry between the 2 leads creeps up from the backdoor and grows on you. Thanks to the infectiously enthusiastic performance of Geronimo and the undeniable appeal of a gorgeous Cruz. It seems there is a premeditated effort to follow on to the formula that made Regine Velasquez a movie star, i.e. with non-ambitious, saccharine-sweet romantic crowd-pleasers. Good news is, Sarah has a more natural vibe about her than the songbird who appeared awkward in her first, say, 7 starrers.

Other than what was mentioned, never for a second did I believe that THAT was a publishing office. If all seemed like a high school class of bumbling dimwits (excluding Joross Gamboa - and only because he is a certified eyecandy who deserves his own romantic comedy LOL).

I love light romantic films. Makes you believe in fairy tales. Makes you think that there's goodness in everyone. Makes you believe that there is a feeling as genuinely pure as L-O-V-E. Makes my toes curl when, as the film closes, the reel couple starts frolicking and laughing in the rain.

Yeah, makes me blush. Who would have thought!





Sarah and John Lloyd say "eeee...!"