Fluffy, Cheesy, But Thankfully Not Corny...I did something totally uncool. In fact, I’d like to believe that it was so uncool, it has come around full circle and actually become cool…
I took the wifey to see John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo’s “A Very Special Love.” (See what good advertising can do…!)
Perky-cute regular girl-next-door meets nasty-mannered rich boy dreamboat, they grow on one another, they hook up, they find something to fight about, they make up, and they live happily ever fucking after… So don’t expect to be totally wowed plot-wise… (hey, who does…?) The plot however, thin as it was did serve as an excellent vehicle for the obvious chemistry between Mr. Cruz and Miss Geronimo. And while it wasn’t Pulitzer material, it wasn’t too cheesy to the point of pukability either. And the stars make the hundred and ten something minutes cruise by quickly. Cheers to Director Cathy Garcia Molina...
I took the wifey to see John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo’s “A Very Special Love.” (See what good advertising can do…!)
Perky-cute regular girl-next-door meets nasty-mannered rich boy dreamboat, they grow on one another, they hook up, they find something to fight about, they make up, and they live happily ever fucking after… So don’t expect to be totally wowed plot-wise… (hey, who does…?) The plot however, thin as it was did serve as an excellent vehicle for the obvious chemistry between Mr. Cruz and Miss Geronimo. And while it wasn’t Pulitzer material, it wasn’t too cheesy to the point of pukability either. And the stars make the hundred and ten something minutes cruise by quickly. Cheers to Director Cathy Garcia Molina...
"...whatever [Sarah] may lack in the physical hotness department, she more than makes up for with some effortlessly sunny charm that makes you want to root for her..."
So John Lloyd is now finally given a “mean guy that the nice girl is after” role as opposed to his usual “nice guy who eventually gets the girl…” roles, and he pulls it off. Greatly in part because the eternally affable, likable and totally accessible Sarah G. is a half or so step down the food chain in the looks department, especially playing off John Lloyd’s mestizo scowl. I mean, imagine Bea Alonzo in Sarah’s perky middle class girl role and you can easily see that it won’t work with her rather upper class looks…
Now I admit I don’t tune in to ABS-CBN often enough to consider myself a worthy assessor of Sarah Geronimo’s talent, but I must say that her starring self-effacingly endearing turn in this rom-com exhibits her potential to turn herself into our less glamorous version of Cameron Diaz. The main difference of course is that Sarah doesn’t have Diaz’s supermodel looks and figure, but she remains attractive in her own “cute-but-not-drop-dead-gorgeous” girl next door way. And whatever she may lack in the physical hotness department, she more than makes up for with some effortlessly sunny charm that makes you want to root for her even in the scenes where she makes an absolute doofus of herself…
But while the movie lights itself up whenever the leads get together, the rest of the talented cast provide very little but talking wallpaper. But one didn’t catch the movie to see Rowell Santiago pretend to have a straight guy swagger. Halfway through chuckling and even occasionally laughing out loud at the movie, one will begin to notice something almost strange… the movie’s funny without being slapstick!
I suppose my strongest beef with the movie is the stupid title, which was most likely chosen to also promote Sarah Geronimo’s new album of cover songs that Viva acquired the rights to. I mean, guys… a movie’s title helps in a movie’s cool factor. Not in this case, people. “A Very Special Love,” c’mon!!! Geez…
Without any apprehension, shame, or pretension, I highly recommend the movie. It’s still showing, people.
Now I admit I don’t tune in to ABS-CBN often enough to consider myself a worthy assessor of Sarah Geronimo’s talent, but I must say that her starring self-effacingly endearing turn in this rom-com exhibits her potential to turn herself into our less glamorous version of Cameron Diaz. The main difference of course is that Sarah doesn’t have Diaz’s supermodel looks and figure, but she remains attractive in her own “cute-but-not-drop-dead-gorgeous” girl next door way. And whatever she may lack in the physical hotness department, she more than makes up for with some effortlessly sunny charm that makes you want to root for her even in the scenes where she makes an absolute doofus of herself…
But while the movie lights itself up whenever the leads get together, the rest of the talented cast provide very little but talking wallpaper. But one didn’t catch the movie to see Rowell Santiago pretend to have a straight guy swagger. Halfway through chuckling and even occasionally laughing out loud at the movie, one will begin to notice something almost strange… the movie’s funny without being slapstick!
I suppose my strongest beef with the movie is the stupid title, which was most likely chosen to also promote Sarah Geronimo’s new album of cover songs that Viva acquired the rights to. I mean, guys… a movie’s title helps in a movie’s cool factor. Not in this case, people. “A Very Special Love,” c’mon!!! Geez…
Without any apprehension, shame, or pretension, I highly recommend the movie. It’s still showing, people.
P.S.
somebody fire the stylist who gave Sarah that stupid oldish hairdo... didn't do the fledgling movie star any favors...
P.P.S.
this flick proves that one does not need to wait for the Metro Manila Film Festival to make (and see) a decent, entertaining Pinoy movie...
1 comment:
Hey man, great blog! Saw yours while trying to find reviews of Sarah Geronimo's movie. Saw it last weekend and thought it was a great movie as well (enough to make my own review :-))
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