Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Movie Review: You Changed My Life

Before anything else, kindly refer back to my review of the first movie:
http://golangco.blogspot.com/2008/08/movie-review-very-special-love.html

* * * * *

Hello there. Welcome back…

Okay, I hereby assume that you took the time to take a look (or second look) at my glittering review of “A Special Love,” the surprisingly entertaining movie that precedes the latest Sarah and John Lloyd vehicle “You Changed My Life.” As such, I hope I have laid down enough of a foundation of goodwill to say what I have to say about the currently showing flick.

It was bad. I’m sorry. I know this will come as a surprise. Believe me, even my wife was as surprised as I was at how much we didn’t like the movie.

"...the very same ingredients, but this time cooked using the nigh-perfectly clichéd Pinoy teen love team recipe... to cringe-worthy effect..."


The story starts almost immediately on the heels of the first movie, which is a rather common, yet effective device for sequels nowadays. I was thinking that this is a good way to kick off the movie since it will mean that Sarah can still play the unjaded, doe-eyed, “I-can’t-believe-I-am-where-I-am,” Laida Magtalas to the hilt. And it can mean a potentially interesting study of how a middle class girl can possibly integrate herself into an upper class family to potentially hilarious results. So many wonderful story possibilities.

But sadly, none of that happened.

From a first movie of quite realistic situations and almost realistic characters, here we are served what is essentially the very same ingredients, but this time cooked using the nigh-perfectly clichéd Pinoy teen love team recipe. All to cringe-worthy results. The only thing missing was the giant Regal song-and-dance number halfway through the flick.

The plot is so convoluted and forced that I won’t even talk about it.

The chemistry between the two leads remains. Unfortunately, their talents are drowned by a script that sounded like it was meant for people ten years younger. They over-act, and desperately try to bring some old tricks back, like the “sun dance,” Sarah mistaking John Lloyd’s move as a sexual advance, but they all fall flat. Obviously, the only story inspiration for this movie is the almost-certainly massive box office return.

The only consistently bright points of amusement are the side comments from the wise-cracking tag team of Joross Gamboa and Gio Alvarez. I’m guessing a different set of writers tackled those side characters.

It is even sadder to note that the most entertaining parts of “You Changed My Life” were the parts where “A Very Special Love” was shown in flashbacks.

It’s truly a shame that the excellent premise and potentially positive creative legacy of “A Very Special Love” had to be marred by this seemingly haphazardly done project. They should have just left the previous movie alone. If you’re a fan of a good Pinoy rom-com, then just keep watching the first movie, enjoy it, and pretend this second movie was never made. Of course the bad news here is that Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz have such enormous fan-bases that this train-wreck will still surely make money. Thereby vindicating how Star Cinema will brush off opinions like this review, and revert to churning out shit.

I should’ve just gone home to spend time with Marge…


* * * * *

Catch you later…

3 comments:

jerbeen said...

we all have our own opinions. para sakin. it surpass the first. they are lots of people saying that the movie was nice, so i watch the movie and for me this movie was really good! :D

Jasper Greek Lao Golangco said...

Thanks for dropping by Jervin. I agree that this is just my humble opinion. I am, however, still a fan of the two leads and hope they get good material for future movies.

Anonymous said...

i beg your pardon. the movie was soooo good! it's more nakakatawa than the prequel. it's very realistic, all the reactions and everything!

you're just INSECURED!!!

insecurity is an emotional disease... get well soon!