It Takes a Man And a Woman: A Say On the Filipino Rom-Com

It is Black Saturday, the first showing day of the third installment of the Laida-Miggy series, and this early you know that this is going to be a replay of the success of the previous two films. The lines were longer than those of the G.I. Joe movie and The Host. The cinemas in the mall where we initially planned to see the movie had tickets already sold out. Good thing another mall was just beside it, so our plan was not totally ruined, but the lines were also long. The confidence the producers have on the film was right on even if no premiere night was hold and with less time promoting it compared to the last two. And why not? The moment the two faces appeared on the screen, you could already feel the ‘excited vibe’ of the entire theater. Everybody was engaged in it. The audience took part as the movie progressed. From the arrival and unveiling of Laida Version 2.0, where the audience had a laugh trip with her “moving on” antics toward Miggy, and ‘Zoila and friends’ (Matet-Gio-Joross) adding in to the funny riot of the exes, to the forced comeback of ‘old’ Laida, where the audience (or at least, me) cried feeling her struggles of testing herself whether she truly has moved on by confronting her past. Sarah Geronimo did a better job with her role now. The part (spoiler) where she started to cry without any words said while looking at John Lloyd’s character singing to her was believable (as opposed to her previous O.A. and ‘pilit’ acts in Part 1 and 2), and even the daughter-father forgiveness scene was tear-inducing, if not for Sarah’s adlib at the end of the scene. This time, you can already feel her connection to the character and truly “gave in” to her one true love, John Lloyd’s character.

The movie was very relatable. Anyone who has undergone a break-up or experiences the daily struggles of a relationship would really feel both the characters’ emotions. Also, this time, all the support characters were given a fair share for the audience to know better. It is also fun seeing that everyone of them took part in bringing ‘the happy ending’ our protagonists rightfully deserve… except of course, Belle, the third party, but even she was not portrayed as hateable and even had her own moments. This third installment takes the audience back to the beginning of the love story we’ve so adored, explains what happened during the time we waited for their comeback to the big screen, and brings us (another spoiler) to New York. The way the story ended the way it started is effective enough for the audience to exclaim “awww.” For the reflective aspect, the lesson is centered on forgiveness and accepting one’s shortcomings before truly loving the person. It also shows the true sense of change, maturing, and growing by keeping one’s original values in life.

Of course, this kind of story is one we only wish would happen in our reality. Thus, you would want to see this because you are a fan of the series, you love the movie stars, you want to de-stress, or you want to bring your optimism back to “love,” the fairy-tale kind.

There might be not-so-positive reviews soon attacking how commercialized the film is, especially with product placements here and there and its overused plot, but if you were part of the audience today, you’d feel only positivity in the air, and that for me, was enough to say that what I paid for is truly “sulit.”

P.S. For the fans of the loveteam, you’re in for a treat and you’d root for them again to be together in real life. Sarah will surprise you here. 🙂 And the bloopers… just watch now before I spoil for you the rest of the movie.