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Thursday, December 31, 2015

MMFF 2015: All You Need Is Pag-ibig, Beauty and the Bestie

Time for me to end my short journey into MMFF. I really wanted to back away from seeing this film because I'm not a fan of Kris Aquino. But I braved the storm because I genuinely appreciate the films of Antoinette Jadaone.

All You Need Is Pag-ibig is composed of several interconnected stories about falling in love, falling back in love, falling out of love and everything in between. On the whole, the stories mostly work together. Individually, some stories work well even as standalone shorts; the rest seem peripheral or underdeveloped.

The Kris subplot, about a person hosting a love advice program, is the weakest of all the subplots. It mostly serves as a bridge to the rest of the stories. Thankfully, her screen time in the film is limited. A short scene with Derek is all that exists of their short interaction, which by the end of their arc feels incomplete.

Pokwang's segment, about a housewife seeking to reconnect with her estranged husband, has the most interesting concept, if only because it's not the usual rom com situation. Its core message is that love for the lovelorn exists in corners we often overlook, and it exists to contrast the rest of the lighter love stories in the film.

Ian Veneracion and Jodi Sta. Maria's segment, a light romantic story about an office worker who falls in love with her boss, can exist as a standalone feature. It was kind of surprising seeing Sta. Maria in an older role but it works.

Xian Lim and Kim Chiu are the major loveteam in this movie, and as such they have a lot of screen time together. Their segment is partly love story, part millennial rumination on failed dreams and aspirations. The segment is not as solid as the previous one, despite some decent chemistry between the two.

Nova Villa and Ronaldo Valdez's segment, about an elderly couple that is slowly getting out of touch, is one of my favorites, if only because I am ridiculously biased towards old love. It's an aspect of love that has been discussed sparingly but has been gaining ground in local cinema with features like 1st Ko Si 3rd, (which also stars Villa, and is ostensibly the better, more realized film) Lorna and certain segments of Anatomiya ng Pag-ibig. It's still the movie that packs the most emotional heft, and ends up being one of the best of the segments on display.

Overall the film is beautifully shot. Of particular note are the drone shots taken outside high rise buildings. Despite its multiple stories, they are successfully intertwined, and I feel it is more cohesive and aware of its identity compared to its romcom counterpart Walang Forever. Even if the film is unabashedly tailored for the MMFF, Jadaone utilizes her creative talents to make the film an enjoyable exploration of love. It's evidence that you can make a smart yet lighthearted commercial film without compromising quality. Of course it's suited for those seeking lighter fare; people who want heavier stuff might want to find their kicks elsewhere.

Beauty in the Bestie's concept is absurd from the getgo, involving secret agents, dopplegangers and (of course) a beauty pageant. It parodies everything mercilessly, and it repeatedly breaks the fourth wall without prejudice. From the concept alone, it's the epitome of brainless fun. And, to people who like Vice Ganda's particular brand of insult comedy, they will most likely find themselves enjoying it.

The most surprising thing about the movie is the fact that it boasts a solid array of action sequences. One particular sequence felt reminiscent of similar scenes in Hindi action mass entertainer Singham (also known as the manliest movie of 2011) and RED, where Singham likely got the inspiration. Coco Martin's secret agent character and Vice Ganda's unlikely heroine drift in cars, have shootouts with Asian gangsters, and commit death defying stunts in helicopters. Middling to awful CGI notwithstanding, this film probably has the best action scenes in the festival.

It's all silliness, and not to be taken seriously. Wenn Deramas reminds me of Hong Kong Director Wong Jing, whose equally silly (if not sillier) films are tailored to Hong Kong audiences. Their collective filmographies are mostly shallow (but fun) fluff that people seem to want. It's not my cup of tea, but my philosophy is mainly walang basagan ng trip so watch what you want to watch. There's also some blatant commercialism in the form of product placement, but it's not as gratituous, and I could really only cite two blatant instances.

Of course there's the requisite love team in the form of James Reid and Nadine Lustre (Lord knows what happened to the sequel to Talk Back and You're Dead). I was not too keen on Nadine previously but she's great in this movie. James Reid is of course James Reid, although a few of his courtship tactics would be kind of creepy had someone else been in his shoes. Their presence in the film is far more peripheral than other MMFF offerings with loveteams.

Beauty and the Bestie is inconsequential fluff. People who like this kind of thing will be entertained, while other moviegoers (such as myself) will find it more of an acquired taste.

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