By the time this review gets out, The Hopeful Romantic is probably gone from cinemas, and that's a shame, because I think it was actually a really funny and pleasant film. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it's far better than some people make it out to be. It's a movie that's technically not a love story, but a story about two people who want to fall in love, but can't.
Jess (Pepe Herrera) hasn't had a girlfriend all his life, so it's understandable that he falls into a trap when Veronica (Ritz Azul) comes on to him, thinking that he's loaded. Jess then decides (foolishly) to keep the illusion alive At the same time, Veronica (if that is really her real name) decides to use Pepe to further her own agenda.
The Hopeful Romantic then becomes a movie about two conmen trying to con each other. When this loopy relationship begins, it is up to the viewers to decide whether there is true love between Jess and Veronica, though the movie ultimately takes us there. Jess does the morally questionable things he does out of desperation to connect with someone else; Veronica does what she does out of desperation as well, but in the sense that she wants to break out of her current situation.
The Hopeful Romantic shows what can happen to people when they try to live outside their means in an socioeconomic system that is stacked against them. Instead of an idealistic vision of moving upward, the movie makes it clear how these two are living an unsustainable lie. Things work themselves out, as mainstream films often do, but I have to give credit where credit's due. This is probably the best local movie that went under the radar this month, and I hope people get a chance to see it again.
The plot and construction of Joven Tan's Wander Bra reeks of the kind of film that would probably be shown at the MMFF, the kind of corporate-sponsored, product-shilling special effects laden superhero comedy that escapist-seeking audiences mindlessly consume during that festival of hollow tripe. The nice thing about it is about how self-aware it is. It's knows it's kitsch and gaudy and just runs with it. This almost meta self awareness reminds me of the best Joven Tan film, Echoserang Frog, whose depiction of a failed independent movie production proved to be genuinely interesting. However, Wander Bra has the humor and nothing else, which proves to be its own downfall.
The film is about a bra with magical powers that turns Barbie (Kakai Bautista) into a superheroine (Myrtle Sarrosa.) She falls in love with a guy (Zeus Collins) who is torn between loving Barbie and Wander Bra.
Here comes the part where the film falters. Wander Bra sets up all these plotlines, but doesn't really do anything with them. It is instead content with making joke after joke, treating the whole thing like a set at a comedy bar. It's nice for about 10 minutes, after that it becomes a bit tedious. And even if one were to take the film as a straight up comedy, not all of the jokes really land.
Wander Bra could have gone self reflexive on how it depicts these MMFF style superheroes, but I'm not sure if the self awareness Tan achieved in Echoserang Frog was deliberate. Maybe in the sequel? Just kidding.
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