Maxpein Zin Del Valle (Belle Mariano) gets admitted into an exclusive private school on a scholaship. Shortly after getting admitted, the feisty and plucky Max quickly runs afoul of the local gang, led by Deib Lohr Enrile (Donny Pangilinan.) Shenanigans ensue.
A condensed version of the TV series for people who don't have time, He's Into Her won't offer much if you've already seen the series. To be honest if you can stand 3 hours of the movie version, you might as well ditch this and watch the TV series, which is far better and has complete versions of key moments between the two leads.
The formula popularized by (and arguably originated by, but don't quote me on that) media like Boys over Flowers seems to still be effective in getting the teen (and feeling teen) crowd. I mean, why else would we see clones using the formula many years later? To be fair, this work in particular criticizes several elements of that formula, notably the part where the affluent (and collectively handsome) alpha gang of the school bullies the underprivileged student who fights back. The private school where all this takes place isn't a very good school if it allows people to harass and even assault students on a regular basis. If that happened to my kid imma transfer them out faster than a shinkansen.
It's cute, though this version of the story hardly does it justice, and it looks like we're being set up for season 2, so the story isn't even finished at this point. I have to reiterate, only watch this if you have no other choice to watch the series version.
P.S. STOP GIVING YOUR KIDS WEIRD NAMES. THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS, NOT CHARACTERS FROM A SCI-FI NOVEL. SURE LETS GO NAME OUR BABY GIRL AFTER THAT GRITTY DUDE WHO USES BULLET TIME TO KILL GANGSTERS AND HAS A PERPETUALLY CONSTIPATED LOOK ON HIS FACE
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| "you named her after WHO?" |
I can't fucking wait until He's Into Her 2 when Max meets her new classmates J'herahldh'ynneh X Æ A-Xii Fernandez, Gowron Darth Nihilus Mordor Versoza, and Zhachxsfughbsdylllllchrach (pronounced as Stacey) Mercado. But seriously though, He's Into Her is a fun series, I hope they make a new season soon.
Ino develops Achromatopsia (total color blindness) after an accident. His best friend Cara is in love with him just because, but Ino has a lot of hangups and can't exactly reciprocate. What comes next is your typical Star Cinema Thingy (tm) with lots of superficial kilig moments, some character drama and a relatively happy ending for most people concerned.
While love shenanigans ensue, Ino struggles to complete the centerpiece of his deceased mother's art exhibit, since he's lost the ability to see color. There's also the fact that Ino's mom (played by Eula Valdez) is a deeply troubled, possibly mentally ill person who tormented Ino and his dad, and because of this continuous trauma, Ino may have something to do with the accident that caused her death. I mean, Ino could've Jackson Pollocked the whole thing instead or painted in monochrome, but hey, we need some kind of conflict. In the end, he finishes the painting by overlaying black bars on it, which means... freedom? He's locking his mom away? He's staring out a window into his mother's unknowable heart?
As for said love shenanigans, it's mostly a bog-standard romance plot that would be resolved in 20 minutes if the main characters just went up and shared their feelings. The supporting cast seems to be aware of this and makes it clear (with time to spare) that yes, Ino and Cara can get together without any further interference from them. The main problem, as with many films of this type, is with Ino and Cara themselves.
Star Cinema films for the most part tend to be like the MCU (not the DCEU if that shit still exists lol) of local cinema: a relatively well made theme park ride that hits some emotional beats, and leaves you with a generally good feeling. All in all, a good time if you're up to it.
It also feels surreal that I'm seeing daughters and sons of actors and actresses in my own youth now playing parts in their own movies: Donny Pangilinan looks like a hunky Maricel Laxa, Arabella Davao looks like Jackie Lou Jr., and Angelina Cruz gets the best from both of her parents (mostly Sunshine, but also a little Cesar Montano). I'm old.
Bianca (Barbie Imperial) and Dex (Diego Loyzaga) are a couple. However. from the outset of Fifth Solomon's Dulo, it's more than evident that this couple isn't going to make it another day: they bicker and fight over the smallest things, and they've gone on a road trip in the hopes that they could salvage their relationship, but it ain't working.
Dulo reminds me of the 2017 film 12 starring Alessandra de Rossi. Both films are stories that deal with the inevitable end of relationships, and both are utterly exhausting to watch. But while that film was shrill and borderline unwatchable, this film doesn't manage to reach those levels of annoyance for me (though tbh it was getting ridiculous near the end.)
Perhaps the reason is its well written characters who are walking contradictions, speaking one thing and then another opposite thing in the span of minutes. And there's a reason for their self destructive actions: in particular, Dax is pathologically needy and controlling due to a very rough childhood, and his initial happiness at meeting Bianca becomes a clash with Bianca's independent-mindedness. It's grounded and messy and illogical in a way only someone who has gone through something like this can fully understand.
My only gripe would be the ending, which in my opinion diminishes what the film is ultimately trying to say. Up to that point, however, Dulo shows a lot of promise.
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